Edner Cherry’s Two Title Tests
On September 13, 2008, Timothy Bradley defeated Edner Cherry by unanimous decision in their WBC junior-welterweight title bout. Cherry later challenged José Pedraza for the IBF junior-lightweight championship in 2015 and again fell short on the scorecards.
A slow start, then a steady climb
Cherry told Premier Boxing Champions that he first stepped into a boxing ring at about 14, in Wauchula, after his family moved from the Bahamas to Florida. His professional start was uneven: he had a 3-2-2 record through his first seven bouts. He kept at it, later putting together a 10-fight winning streak, excluding a no-contest, and earning victories over former world champions Stevie Johnston and Juan Polo Pérez.
Bradley’s title defense at 140 pounds
On September 13, 2008, Cherry moved up to junior welterweight to challenge the unbeaten Bradley for the WBC title in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bradley won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds, with scores of 117-110, 118-109 and 119-109. Cherry pressed him early and briefly stunned Bradley with a right hand in the 11th, but Bradley’s body work and defense carried the fight. It was a title defeat, not a championship win for Cherry.
A close second challenge against Pedraza
Cherry’s next world-title opportunity came seven years later, at junior lightweight. PBC: Cherry’s title challenges. On October 3, 2015, in Cincinnati, he challenged José Pedraza for the IBF super featherweight title. Pedraza retained it by split decision: two judges scored 117-111 for Pedraza, while the third had Cherry winning 116-112.
The result remained disputed. CompuBox credited Cherry with landing more punches, 243 to 187, and Cherry said afterward that he believed he had done enough. The official decision still went to Pedraza, who made the first defense of his title. This is Cherry’s second documented world-title challenge; he never held a world championship.
One more run, then retirement
Cherry carried on after the Pedraza loss. He beat Omar Douglas by unanimous decision in 2017 and returned the following year to defeat Dennis Galarza over 10 rounds. That April 2018 win was his final recorded professional bout, leaving him with a 37-7-2 record and 19 knockouts.
A severe heart attack later ended Cherry’s boxing career. In 2024, he was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame. His record tells a story of two title attempts that fell short, followed by years of continued competition and a long career in the sport.
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Edner Cherry, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
