Sunny Edwards is enjoying his underdog status as he prepares to fight 112-pound king Moruti Mthalane for the IBF flyweight world title on Friday night, live on BT Sport. 

Edwards (15-0, 4 KOs) has been given a golden opportunity to be crowned Britain's next world champion at the Copper Box Arena in London.

However he now faces a formidable opponent in the form of Mthalane, a two-time IBF flyweight champion who is currently riding a 16-fight winning streak. 26 of his 39 wins have come by way of knockout.  

But the British super-flyweight champion wants to leave the bookies and judges empty-handed by giving "Babyface" a boxing lesson.  

"I am pretty happy to be considered the underdog," Edwards said. "They have been on a great run recently and especially since boxing went behind closed doors.

"It is a trend I am confident of continuing and when I get the belt it will be in safe keeping with my dogs Kilo and Duchess protecting the crown jewels!

"I might have to ask the IBF about sanctioning some world champion dog collars if it all goes my way. I know my dogs look quite mean, but they are big teddy bears!

"I think I will have to move around and have a look for the whole 12 rounds, to be honest.

"You don’t go head on against an immovable object, I’ve got to try and work around it for as long as I can.

"This is definitely a twelve-round fight and I have trained for 15. All I know is, I wouldn’t try and beat him in an arm wrestle, so I am not going to try and beat him in a fight!"

Edwards, an orthodox boxer who combines lateral movement with precise, in-and-out striking, is yet to be really tested.

But the 25-year-old father-of-two is far too wise to overlook his more experienced South African opponent. 

"It is a friendly one since we were together in Ukraine and we have got each other on social media, so it has always been a ‘good luck’ or ‘well done’ before and after fights," he added.

"He is top of the division, top of the tree and he is where everybody else wants to be. He is heavily avoided, we know that.

"I think he’s had like 10 world title fights and nobody has ever given him a unification shot. He has proved time and time again he will be the away fighter, even as a world champion.

"I think you have to understand the beast I am getting in the ring with, to be honest. I do.

"When I got out of the ring in Ukraine he said I would 100 per cent be a world champion, when I asked him for a picture.

"Hopefully that 100 per cent will be on April 30th and against him, but he is such a nice man and a great champion.

"I do genuinely feel honoured to be sharing a ring with him, but all the friendliness will fall by the wayside when that first bell goes.

"I just need to win and having that world title would mean the absolute world to me and it would put me up there with the top British fighters right now."