Sunny Edwards hopes that his eagerly awaited flyweight unification bout with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez can be the catalyst for a series of spectacular clashes in the lower weight divisions.

IBF champion, Edwards, and WBO boss, Rodriguez, will meet in Arizona on December 16th in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.

“I think me and Bam have set the tone in the lighter weights and a few more need to happen now,” Edwards told Talksport.

“I feel with me - and it’s shown in my performances - the better the opponent, the better I am. I know it’s kind of cliche. Because what I do is kind of dancing with the opponent, I let them put the input in and I go around them. If they’re really good then what I do becomes really, really good to beat them.”

Edwards and Rodriguez both seem to have enjoyed the transatlantic press tour to promote the fight. Tensions will inevitably rise as the bout draws closer but for the time being both fighters appear comfortable around each other, clearly admiring the other’s accomplishments but also realizing the threat they pose.

Edwards has long wanted a seat at the sport’s top table and certainly isn’t going into the fight cowed by Rodriguez’s reputation, seeing the unbeaten Texan as his peer rather than somebody to be revered. Edwards has been admired by hardcore boxing fans for years and clearly feels like he has found the ideal opponent to introduce himself to a worldwide audience.

“I think Bam is a great fighter and he’ll bring the best out in me,” he said “There’s a lot of respect there because I see the similarities in our backgrounds. We both started young, we both frequented pro-gyms from young, probably sparring longer rounds than most people our age, sparring men from early. We both had older brothers around the same age that we watched and sparred. I know I did.

“Even without fully knowing Bam’s story I can pick up on things. I know he’s gonna be proper because I can put myself in his shoes. For me - and I hope it doesn’t offend him - he’s like the American version of me and I’m the British version of him. We’ll both take any fights, we’re both jumping down the weights.”