Rivals set to clash as Lewis Edmondson ordered to defend Commonwealth title against Ezra Taylor
Southampton-based Edmondson currently holds both titles, with Taylor named his mandatory challenger after the latter's victory over Troy Jones on the undercard of Cacace-Wood last weekend.
In the build-up to Taylor's bout with Jones, Edmondson attended a press conference to exchange words with his light heavyweight rival.
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29-year-old Edmondson earned both belts with a majority decision win over Dan Azeez in October 2024, despite being deducted a point in the eighth round for punching on the break.
It will be Edmondson's second defence of his Commonwealth title, having beaten Oluwatosin Kejawa of Nigeria in March, with Taylor watching on from ringside. However, Edmondson is yet to defend his British title, which will also be on the line against Taylor.
A statement from the BBBofC outlined the next steps for both fighters, reading: 'The Stewards decided to put out the above mandatory defence contest to Purse bids to be submitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions to the Board's Head Office by 12:00pm on Wednesday, 11th June 2025, the contest to take place by the end of October 2025.'
The BBBofC also confirmed that Edmondson's fellow Southampton fighter, super featherweight Ryan Garner, will be competing for the British title when he faces belt holder Reece Bellotti in Bournemouth, on Saturday, July 26.
A statement from the board read: 'The Stewards decided to approve a request from Promoter Frank Warren for the above voluntary defence contest, which will take place on Saturday, 26th July 2025 in Bournemouth.'
Alongside Garner, both Edmondson and Taylor are signed to Frank Warren's Queensbury Promotions.
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Leader Live
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England delivered another heart-stopping win in extra-time to make the Euro 2025 final with a 2-1 victory over Italy. It required an added time equaliser and last-minute winner but somehow the Lionesses got over the line once more in Geneva. Here are five key takeaways from a night that provoked nearly every emotion in the book. England into a third consecutive major tournament final No doubt performances will be raked over and tactics dissected as England turned in another questionable display in Geneva that saw them require late intervention once more, but their achievement is undeniably brilliant. The Lionesses will now appear in a third consecutive major tournament final - a feat of consistency that is nothing short of remarkable. The feat also marks a fifth consecutive major final for Sarina Wiegman, having reached two with the Netherlands before joining England. Whatever it is that has got them here - resilience, belief or just a 'proper English attitude' - it surely cannot just be luck after completing the feat so many times. They will either meet Spain or Germany to set up a definite repeat of one of their prior two finals - losing to Spain 1-0 in the World Cup final in 2023 and defeating Germany 2-1 at Euro 2022. Poor start proves costly…again When the post-mortem started on England's questionable first 70 minutes against Sweden in the quarter-finals, the overwhelming call was simple: start better. It was a call it felt obvious for the Lionesses to heed as they entered the semi-finals as clear favourites against an Italy side who had last reached a European Championship semi-final in 1997. Though in control for large periods of the opening half, England seemed to coast rather than take the impetus to press for a goal. It fell straight into the hands of an Italy side who clearly planned to sit back and soak up England pressure before raiding on the break. And that was exactly what happened as Sofia Cantore charged down the right to fire in a cross that was not dealt with by the Lionesses and Barbara Bonansea was on hand to fire home at the far post. Once more, it left England with a deficit to fight back from and they left it right until the last minute to save themselves. If they start like this again in the final, the outcome could prove much worse. WE'RE IN THE #WEURO2025 FINAL! 🙌 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 22, 2025 Italy's back five brilliance If Andrea Soncin could have produced a blueprint of how he wanted the semi-final to play out, it probably would not have looked too dissimilar to the 90 minutes that emerged in Geneva. It was only the added and extra-time after that proved the manager's undoing. Setting up in a back five, the Italians sought to absorb England's early pressure and did so to full effect, soaking up all their threat and with it seemingly any attacking impetus from the Lionesses. Soncin had clearly set up to hit England on the break and they did so devastatingly in the 33rd minute as Cantore burst down the right with pace and caught their opponents' defence off guard. Bonansea was on hand to deliver what appeared to be a fatal blow and from there they could set up to frustrate. Bodies behind the ball, time-wasting unlocked with Laura Giuliani booked for the offence, and it never looked likely that the Lionesses would penetrate the blockade until the entrance of Michelle Agyemang. Agyemang again Michelle Agyemang just continues to deliver. At 19 years old she has delivered in a major tournament twice in just a handful of appearances. 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Chloe Kelly is clutch It was not an all-time performance from Chloe Kelly and yet she still picked up the official Player of the Match award. The scenario was exactly what you would expect of a player of Kelly's mentality. Shunned at Manchester City this season, leaving her in a place where she considered quitting football, Kelly forced a move to Arsenal to rejuvenate her England hopes. Despite the doubters, in north London she thrived. She would not only force her way into a strong starting XI but start as Arsenal won the Champions League after defeating Barcelona. Having been named on the bench for all of England's games at Euro 2025 so far, she came on once more to prove her worth. Against Sweden, that had shown in the form of two brilliant assists/pre-assists to set-up England's comeback. On Wednesday that contribution shifted because while her crossing was not up to scratch, noticeably putting a corner straight into the side-netting with minutes left, she stepped up to take a potentially game-winning penalty. Despite seeing her first attempt saved, she was on hand to show that resilience again, and power home the rebound. It marks a second time the winger has given England an historic 2-1 win in extra-time, having been the scorer of the winner at Wembley back in 2022.
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The Independent
a minute ago
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England are living a ‘fantasy' at Euro 2025 – now they must get real
As the giddy talk in Geneva inevitably turned to endings, and comparisons with movies, match-winner Chloe Kelly described it as a 'fantasy'. That might well refer to the improbability of England somehow winning despite performing so badly, even though that's obviously not what the forward meant. Sarina Wiegman and her squad naturally don't want to get into such critical discussion right now, and for good reason. There's another historic final appearance to celebrate right now. There's also going to be a lot of analysis to come before Sunday, and a lot of preparation. They're needed. England are right now so much less than the sum of their parts, but have crucial greater qualities. There is a rare resolve there. 'The team never gives up,' Wiegman said. Her hero, Kelly, went further. An old phrase was reworked, which might be even more relevant if it is Germany rather than Spain in Sunday's final. 'You can never write the English off.' That somehow could be said even later against Italy, as the European champions this time left it to the final 90 seconds of stoppage time. Italy manager Andrea Soncin lamented how his team were one minute from the final. They even celebrated Kelly's mis-hit corner just before Michelle Agyemang's equaliser. This isn't an accident, or coincidence. There is an obvious spirit in this group, that is as visible in moments like the entire squad rallying around Jess Carter as it is in late equalisers. One also leads to the other, and there's a multiplying effect. The more crucial late goals you score, the more you think there's always another there. It might even be time to rework another old phrase, that was famously used about Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. This England don't lose games. They just run out of time. Except, time can catch up with them another way, and it's where there's always another side to late goals. That doesn't refer to the anguish teams like Italy suffer, either. Do it a few times, and they're a sign of resolve. Do it a lot, and they're a sign of weakness. If you keep needing such moments, something is wrong in your team. That does lead to another interpretation of what happened in Geneva on Wednesday, that won't necessarily be popular amid the euphoria of victory. This one possibly wasn't a show of resolve. It was really just a team that had vastly superior individuals to Italy, with that higher quality eventually manifesting. It didn't really matter when. It just would. The gap was too good, reflecting how fortunate they were to face such a limited side in the semi-final. In fact, there's even an argument that the lateness of the game contributed to that, making the ending inevitable in another way. Italy had vastly overperformed to get this far, and just didn't have the experience or nous to see this out. They made some baffling decisions in the latter stages, although that was also because they didn't really have the legs to see it out either. They were naturally exhausted. The injury to star forward Cristiana Girelli only made it worse. All of that could be sensed in some extra-time counter-attacks. Italy would suddenly have an opening to put a runner through, but it was like they didn't want to commit. They were afraid of leaving themselves open, and possibly knew they wouldn't have the legs to get back either. That's what extra-time in such absorbing knockouts does. England have much more experience of such games, even if they were reliant on Agyemang's freshness. Except, in the final, they are not going to be playing a team as limited as Italy. It's a different test, where it instantly becomes much more dangerous to depend on another rescue act. That's where the flaws that warrant so many late goals can eventually catch up with you. It really depends on what wins out, your weaknesses or your spirit – unless you solve the problems in the first place. Wiegman laughed as she said it 'wasn't the plan' to keep going behind in such games, but she needs to get serious about one. While such spirit is immensely valuable in a tournament, tournaments also have a tendency to eventually see you hit your own limits; the point at which you can't go past. Wiegman badly needs to change the limitations of this team, especially given the talents of her players. It is such a bizarre thing. We are talking about one of the great coaches of the women's game, her outstanding quality illustrated by her very record of reaching a fifth consecutive final. And yet in these Euros it is like she just hasn't been able to solve England's core flaws, which is their very starting line-up. The 75th-minute subs have worked so far, and the swell around their introduction can cause further doubts for opposition. That's another side of those late goals. At the same time, superior opposition sides can get wise to that. Kelly is still correct. England have lived a fantasy so far. They just need to get realistic about what next. Maybe the best ending for this is not, actually, another late show.
