I wish I was a 6ft 4in heavyweight – flyweight Yafai

Galal Yafai defies this bravado culture, but boxing is crowded with competitors who bellow about their greatness before demonstrating it.

“People on the outside assume boxers are always so confident.” They believe I must be a fuller just because I won Olympic gold, but that is completely false, Yafai tells BBC Sport.

“Sometimes, I feel like I can’t do this or that fight might end.”

Yafai thinks confronting those unfavorable thoughts can stop the impact of those negative thoughts.

And this sincere determination may have helped the 32-year-old, who won the Olympic title, reach the height of amateur boxing and is now on the verge of earning him professional accolades.

The Birmingham native worked shifts at a Solihull car factory with boxing training ten years ago.

At BP Pulse Live Arena on Saturday, he will face Francisco Rodriguez Jr., a Mexican wrestler, to defend his WBC interim title.

Victory might lead to a unified fight between WBA and WBC titlist Kenshiro Teraji and Yafai, who would not be reluctant to visit the champion’s hometown.

He claims that his Olympic gold in Tokyo was a good match for his country.

He claims that “a few more people are watching me now” than he did against Sunny. How I beat him, rather than just beating him.

“It wasn’t a difficult fight; I enjoyed six rounds.” A week or so later, I took a little break, and I then returned to the gym.

Yafai is, however, unsure of his position within the boxing fraternity.

Flyweights are frequently overshadowed by the sport’s larger men, who rarely command the headlines on fight nights or dominate headlines.

“We don’t receive the praise,” Yafai sighs wryly and says, “I wish I was 6 feet 4 inches and a heavyweight.”

Rodriguez Jr., a former world champion who won 39 fights, six losses, and one draw, is expected to defeat Yafai.

His previous contest was changed from a points win to a no-contest contest. Yafai claims he is unsure of the reasons, and that CBS Sport reached out to the Texas boxing commission for clarification.

Yafai claims that boxing produces those strange stories. He is a tough, experienced fighter, but all I can do is concentrate on what is right. That will, I’m sure, be sufficient by night.

A showdown with Teraji is on the horizon beyond Rodriguez. Step up in the fight against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the two-weight world champion who defeated Edwards in 2023, is perhaps even bolder.

Yafai claims that despite the fact that he is a great fighter and that I am not delusional, I would probably do myself a disgrace if I faced a champion like him.

However, when he stopped Sunny, I saw enough to figure out how to stop him.

The goal is still unambiguous for the time being.

Yafai says, “First, I must win on Saturday.” “And then, I can win a world title.”