Rhys Edwards is eager to make up for lost time.

In December 2024, the Welsh featherweight was relaxing at home and preparing for Christmas when offered a last-minute chance to fly out to Saudi Arabia for a fight on the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury 2 undercard.

Boxing on just four days' notice and up at junior lightweight, Edwards (17-1, 4 KOs) performed admirably and pushed the world-ranked Peter McGrail all the way before dropping a hard fought, 10-round decision.

Although the circumstances were far from ideal, Edwards' spur of the moment showing earned him plenty of plaudits and he returned home to Wales waiting for the phone to ring.

Through no fault of his own, things haven't gone as expected.

Edwards, 25, has boxed only once since - a routine eight round win over the veteran Thomas Essomba in June - and has been sidelined while his promoters, Boxxer, spent time negotiating a new television deal following the conclusion of their partnership with Sky Sports.

Finally, doors have begun to open. Edwards has been nominated to contest the vacant British title fight against Gully Powar (13-1, 1 KO) and Boxxer have announced a terrestrial broadcast deal with the BBC.

Edwards has shown flashes of his ability but there is a feeling that we could be about to see his very best and the emergence of a real dark horse on the 126-pound scene.

"Definitely, I'm very good," he told The Ring.

"I've definitely not shown all my ability in any of my fights. Maybe my best performance was against Thomas Patrick Ward [UD10]. I boxed well in the McGrail fight but, like you said, it's just little flashes.

"A good Rhys Edwards with a full camp is a very good fighter."

Some fighters build up false confidence by running over a long series of overmatched opponents only to have their own illusions of grandeur shattered the first time things don't go their way. Edwards isn't that kind of character.

He readily admits that he grew in self-belief throughout his whistle stop trip to Saudi Arabia and even though he didn't have his hand raised, he has taken plenty of positives from the whole experience.

Edwards isn't the type to scream, shout and demand his opportunity. Neither will he do interview after interview talking about how good he is.

That level-headed approach has allowed him to rationalise the loss to McGrail and he is now more confident than ever that he will be able to reach the top.

"Yeah, a little bit. I think definitely after the McGrail fight, it's come out," he said.

"When I was going in, I’d had a close fight with Brad Foster and he [McGrail] had stopped Foster in two rounds. He hit me with the same body shot right at the end of the first round and I was just thinking, 'Oh my God, I have to at least go three rounds' but then as the fight grew on, my confidence was building.

"The only thing I kick myself with now is just thinking that I wish I started confident, but I learned a lot from it. I'm definitely up there with the best.

"What if I knew [about the fight] a few days before? I don't dwell on it. It's big learning curve and it's definitely made me a lot more confident."

Edwards will need that self-assurance if he is to make a serious impact in a talent-laden British featherweight division.

WBA featherweight titleholder Nick Ball, is done for the year and will recharge his batteries after a breakneck rise to the top of the world scene.

On Oct. 4, world-ranked Nathaniel Collins challenges Spain's European champion Cristobal Lorente for the European title in a Glasgow headliner streamed live on DAZN.

Elsewhere, there are rumours that former British titleholder Zak Miller will meet former European junior featherweight champion Liam Davies before the end of the year.

For the time being, Edwards is the dangerous, low-profile outsider but beating the determined, underrated Powar and winning the British title will earn him a major bargaining chip and send him into a defining period of his career with even more self-confidence.

"To be honest, I think they're all brilliant fighters, like myself," he said.

"They've all got different strengths and weaknesses. It's an exciting division. It really is brilliant.

"Some may be underdogs, but there's not much between any of the talent in the division, I wouldn't say. It’s just little fine margins. That's boxing. I love it. It's the competition.

"My name's getting mentioned up there with the likes of all these fighters. I'm there now. It's definitely exciting."