by The 28-year-old Saints fan took the titles from Dan Azeez as part of a card headlined by light welterweights Adam Azim and Ohara Davies.
His fight last Saturday was a tough one as former European and British champion Azeez was a familiar opponent having previously boxed in the amateur division.
Edmondson and Azeez completed the full 12 rounds before a majority decision declared the Southampton fighter the new champion.
It sparked enthusiastic scenes as 18 years of energy spent in the gym returned to the universe with every bounce of Edmonson’s boots from the Copper Box Arena screen.
“It’s good to finally get what we always knew we had, you know?” said Champion Edmondson in an interview with the Daily Echo.
Lewie Edmondson from Southampton is the new British and Commonwealth Champion!
Check out what it means 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/l9rpoOcmh6
– Dan George (@DanGeorgee) October 19, 2024
“From the moment I first walked into the gym at Golden Ring, I was told that you were special and destined for greatness – but there were ups and downs.”
“I knew I was going up against a former British European champion who fought for a world title – and who had only lost for a world title.”
“He did a lot of 12-rounders and it was my first, he was on TV. It was a big step up, a big risk. But you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
“It was unbelievable but I was back in the gym on Wednesday because now I have what everyone wants – I’ll have a target on my back.”
“The Saint” calls Golden Ring’s Stuart Gill, manager Billy Joe Saunders and current trainer Jacob Macmillan the three who “shaped” him into the fighter he is.
But Edmondson’s road to becoming 10-0 and British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion hasn’t been easy.
Edmondson had to refuse to let severe septicemia derail his boxing career, even though it meant he was in and out of hospital for 18 months.
His last surgery took place in March 2022. We’ve seen the pictures of his disfigured butt and while they obviously can’t be printed, trust us – it looks painful!
“I had this open wound for about five years. She kept getting infected and I was on antibiotics for ages,” Edmondson explained.
“It was very, very bad. I had a small cyst which was then excised, but the wound just didn’t heal because the infection couldn’t be completely removed.”
“I ended up training, I was with a boxing trainer and he was like, ‘Lew, you need to sort this out’ because the gym smelled!”
“A lot of people didn’t believe I would fight again. I was very thin and was in the hospital. To be honest, I was only worried about survival and not about boxing.”
Edmondson’s success continues a brilliant period for the city, with undefeated WBC International super featherweight boxers Ryan Garner (15-0) and Royston Barney-Smith (12-0).
“The city is behind me and this is history for the city,” Edmondson said. “A lot of people support it and I think it’s good for the city.”
Edmondson can look forward to making a voluntary bid to defend his title in the home corner of a ring of his choosing, which he hopes could come in January.
He had taken the fight against Azeez on five weeks’ notice after training for another fight in Saudi Arabia that ultimately fell through.
“We want to keep going to win the World Cup. We want to move forward, so let’s see what the next steps are,” Edmondson said.
“We’re now sitting down with a few promoters and seeing what offers are on the table for a TV advertising contract because we didn’t have one before.
“There are now many offers on the table. I want to retire at the end of January and I’m pretty sure I’ll defend the titles.”
“Sometimes people leave the belts and move to Europe. It depends on what they want to do, you know. You have to look at the options and go from there.”
