(Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions)
Charlie Edwards is one win away from getting to fight for his second world title.
Edwards, a former flyweight beltholder, will take on Sikho Nqothole in an IBF junior bantamweight eliminator. MF Pro announced that Edwards-Nqothole will headline a show on May 29 at York Hall in London. The event will stream on DAZN.
Edwards, 21-2 (7 KOs), is a 33-year-old from Epsom, England. He lost his first title shot in 2016 against then-IBF flyweight beltholder John Riel Casimero, who took out Edwards in the 10th round.
But Edwards made the most of his second chance, outpointing Cristofer Rosales in December 2018 to seize the WBC title at 112lbs. Edwards made one successful defense before being stopped in the third round by Julio Cesar Martinez in August 2019. That result would be overturned, though, as Martinez had struck Edwards while he was down.
Edwards relinquished the title, however, because of difficulty making the flyweight limit. From September 2020 until March 2025, he mostly competed at bantamweight, barring one bout at featherweight against a no-hoper so that Edwards could shake off rust following a long layoff.
After taking the short end of a split decision against Andrew Cain, Edwards moved down to 115lbs. He defeated the 20-9-2 Salvador Juarez by unanimous decision in September.
Edwards is ranked No. 6 by the IBF, No. 10 by the WBO, and No. 13 by both the WBA and WBC.
Nqothole, 21-3 (13 KOs), is a 31-year-old from South Africa. His first two losses came back to back against the same opponent, the 9-3 Sabelo Ngebinyana by decision in 2018, and by sixth-round KO to Ngebinyana (then 10-3, obviously) in 2019.
Nqothole subsequently embarked on a seven-fight winning streak, including a decision over Ricardo Malajika in 2022. Nqothole’s run came to an end in 2024, when he was outpointed by junior bantamweight contender Rene Calixto Bibiano. Nqothole has notched three more victories since and is ranked No. 5 by the IBF.
Also announced for this card are a junior middleweight bout between Jak Corrie, 9-0 (6 KOs), and Dan Toward, 8-1 (6 KOs); a super middleweight bout pitting Ollie Cooper, 12-0 (2 KOs), against James Osborne, 13-1 (3 KOs); and a battle of featherweights Jack Dillingham, 7-0-1 (2 KOs), and Tom Welland, 10-1 (5 KOs).
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart…
2026-04-14 00:05:50
