Charlie Edwards has promised his defeat to Sikho Nqothole in an IBF junior bantamweight eliminator in London on Friday does not mean the end of his 21-3 (7 KOs).
Edwards, 33, lost a deserved unanimous decision after 12 rounds to his South African opponent inside a hot and sweaty York Hall. The Englishman survived a taxing start to gather some momentum in the second half but it was clear to all observers he hadn’t quite done enough.
It marked his second defeat in his last three outings, having lost to Andrew Cain in March last year. He had since regrouped with victory over Salvador Juarez in September.
“It wasn’t my night tonight,” Edwards said in a sober address to camera on social media. The former WBC flyweight beltholder has yearned another world title since he lost that belt in 2019.
“I’ve got to reassess a few things, brush myself down, have a little bit of time out with my family and my beautiful daughter.
“Then we’ll reassess, get back in the gym, and get back to work, man. You can’t keep a good man down. A few things need to be assessed, I need to look at certain things, but we’ll be back.
“Thank you, everyone, for your support.
“Big respect to Sikho. Hell of a fighter, good fighter, tricky fighter. God bless you and your family, brother. Go on and win that world title.
“We’ll be back to live and fight another day.”
For Nqothole, 22-3 (13 KOs), it marked the biggest win of his career.
