Buglioni vs Summers: Panel discuss if Joshua Buatsi can follow Anthony Joshua's lead

By The Panel, Boxers, Trainers & Pundits

Image: Can Joshua Buatsi follow in AJ's path?

Joshua Buatsi makes his long-awaited debut this Saturday night, but do our panel of experts believe he can follow in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua?

Buatsi was the standout performer on the boxing team at the Rio Olympics, winning a bronze medal, and he will make his professional debut this Saturday at London's O2 Arena, live on Sky Sports.

AJ was the star four years earlier at London's 2012 Olympics, winning gold, and Buatsi has now teamed up with the unified heavyweight world champion's management company and will hope to follow a similar journey in the professional ranks.

But do our panel of experts believe that Buatsi, 24, can also reach the highest echelons of the sport?

Spencer Oliver

Buatsi is a great talent, He certainly has the ability but it's hard to say if he can follow in his footsteps. AJ has taken boxing to another level, but yes Buatsi certainly has potential to go all the way.

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It's a huge bonus to have AJ as his mentor, not just for advice, but he can take a lot of strength from what AJ's achieved and Buatsi will no doubt want to achieve similar things and that will drive him on - it will make him feel like superman.

There is no pressure on him to be just like AJ so he can only take it as a positive that the champion is behind him. There is a lot of expectation around Buatsi, but he seems young, hungry and will thrive in the spotlight.

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Darren Barker

Buatsi was very impressive in the Olympics, he is explosive with power in both hands and has a superb pedigree. I think he fits the bill of the pro game perfectly and I see a very successful career ahead of him.

He can absolutely follow in the footsteps of AJ, but I don't want to get carried away, he has a long way to go.
Darren Barker

He just needs to not get ahead of himself, be patient and he can go all the way.

AJ as his mentor is very helpful and Buatsi will want to take a similar career path to Joshua. There's no extra pressure and having someone like that will only spur him on and give you that confidence that you're part of a superstar's camp.

David Coldwell

I loved Buatsi's style and attitude at the Olympics, it reminded me of a young Julian Jackson the way he goes about his business, and I'm excited to see how he progresses in the pros.

I think he will go to the very top. Everything about him, his style, aura and boxing ability, the ingredients are there for him to be a very exciting fighter. He just needs make sure he has an all-round game.

Who better to have as your mentor than Joshua, someone who has travelled the same path, coming from Team GB to becoming world champion. Buatsi seems to have a similar personality to AJ, the way they speak on a real level and I'm looking forward to seeing where his career goes.

Johnny Nelson

Buatsi is an intelligent kid and he seems to tick all the boxes, Saturday night will give the first indication as to where he can go. Like when AJ made his debut, he can make a statement and quickly announce himself on the scene.

Buatsi does remind me of AJ, he has done this all at his own pace and I like the way he talks and fights.
Johnny Nelson

You look at the division and who is out there, it's a tough division like with the heavyweights. We won't see until after his first half a dozen fights as to how good he really can be.

There is no point getting giddy and excited just yet, it's his first professional fight. We want to firstly see how he makes the transition to the paid ranks.

Jamie Moore

Buatsi will be a great addition to the pro game, his style is suited to it, I especially love how he switches from head to body. I'm sure he is going to excite us over the years.

To follow AJ's footsteps is a massive ask as the heavyweight is already a worldwide superstar, but Buatsi will no doubt be on AJ bills in the future as they have that close relationship.

They have taken a similar route in boxing and it will be extremely helpful for Buatsi to have AJ mentoring him. Buatsi seems very level headed and won't get carried away with himself and I believe he can make his own footsteps only in a different direction.

Watch Frank Buglioni against Ricky Summers this Saturday night, with Joshua Buatsi, Conor Benn, Lawrence Okolie, Ted Cheeseman and Reece Bellotti also in action at The 02, from 7.30pm on Sky Sports 1.

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