Angel Moreno kept moving forward and Charlie Edwards kept tagging him at will.
Edwards used his jab to set up all his offense as he picked apart Moreno with precise punches. The result was a unanimous decision victory, a shutout (120-107 three times), and a successful first defense of Edwards' WBC flyweight title Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena in London.
MORE: Join DAZN and watch Canelo Alvarez vs. Daniel Jacobs on May 4
Moreno was willing from the outset to stay in the pocket with Edwards, swinging widely and wildly in an attempt to land a fight-changing power shot. The ill-advised strategy made Moreno a stationary target for Edwards, who peppered him with stinging jabs before also mixing in power shots such as hooks and uppercuts. The champion completely outclassed his challenger through every round of a world title bout that at times resembled a dominant sparring session.
"I think it was about levels," Edwards (15-1, six KOs) said after the victory, referencing his boxing skills being superior to his challenger's.
"It was a punch-perfect, technical boxing performance just like I predicted," he added with a huge grin seconds later.
As for what's next for the 26-year-old champion, Edwards said that he'd be willing to face anyone, vowing that he'll be a multi-weight world champion.
"I want to build a legacy for the British boxing fans," Edwards continued. "Whoever's next, I'm ready. If that's [flyweight] Andrew Selby, if that's [WBA junior bantamweight champion] Khal Yafai, if that's the IBF [flyweight champion] Moruti [Mthalane], if that's WBO, WBA, I want to unify, be undisputed and build a legacy."
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn stepped in to say that he'd like to see Edwards attempt to unify the flyweight titles in a bout with Mthalane next, pinpointing July as a possible date.
Co-main event: Joshua Buatsi destroys Liam Conroy by third-round TKO to win vacant British light heavyweight title
Buatsi, 26, looked impressive in his 10th professional fight, dropping Conroy twice in the third en route to scoring the TKO. The undefeated Buatsi landed a razor-sharp overhand right, followed by a short left uppercut, to drop Conroy the first time. Seconds later, he landed a devastating right hand dropped Conroy again. Although Conroy beat the count, the referee had seen enough to stop the action 1:53 into the round. After the bout, Hearn spoke about the possibility of Buatsi fighting on the Anthony Joshua-Jarrell Miller card at Madison Square Garden on June 1.
Other main card results
Shannon Courtenay def. Cristina Busuioc via decision (40-36); bantamweights
Courtenay made sure her professional debut was an impactful one; she thoroughly battered and outclassed Busuioc to cruise to the victory.
Lawrence Okolie def. Wadi Camacho by fourth-round TKO to retain his British Commonwealth cruiserweight title and take Camacho’s British Commonwealth cruiserweight championship
Okolie landed a three-punch combination that made Camacho take a knee in the fourth round. Smelling blood, the 6-5 Okolie charged at Camacho and sent him crashing against the ropes with a powerful right hook, prompting the referee to step in and award him with the TKO.
Lewis Ritson def. German Benitez by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92) to win the WBA Intercontinental super lightweight title
Undercard results
- Chris Adaway def. Tom Ansell by decision (39-37); junior welterweights
- Jason Quigley def. Finn Eklund via second-round TKO; middleweights
- Sean McGoldrick def. Sean Cairns by decision (59-56); junior featherweights
- Lewis Syrett def. Danail Stoyanov via decision (40-36); middleweights
