Britain's brilliant light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi signs with promoter BOXXER, with his fights to be screened exclusively on Sky Sports; Buatsi will next box on May 6 in Birmingham; Buatsi is an elite fighter in one of the most exciting weight classes in the UK
Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:12, UK
Joshua Buatsi has signed an exclusive multi-fight, multi-year agreement with BOXXER, with his fights to be screened exclusively on Sky Sports.
Buatsi is one of the most exciting fighters in Britain and at light-heavyweight is in one of the country's most exciting divisions.
His next fight will be on May 6 at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, live on Sky Sports.
Unbeaten in 16 professional fights, Buatsi has risen to No 1 in the WBA's world rankings and is pushing for his shot at championship honours.
"I think it's simple: I just have to remain active," Buatsi told Sky Sports.
"We spoke about the good rankings that I've got. So it's up to the promoter, the manager, to kind of manage me, to put in me in a position where yes I'll be mandatory [to challenge for a world title], yes I'll be number one and if a champion says yes we're going to fight this guy hopefully I've got the right team to back me and the platform to make the fights happen.
"Because I've had the learning fights. I've done everything that I needed to do so now is the time where I say look, chuck me into these fights. These champions, I want to fight them.
"I wouldn't say anyone is at the forefront of my mind. I want to fight anyone, whoever it is. Most importantly I want to get a world title."
An electric performer in the ring, Buatsi's last fight was a triumph over London light-heavyweight rival Craig Richards.
Croydon's Buatsi, who is an explosive puncher with an aggressive fighting style, has won 13 of 16 pro bouts inside the distance.
A big last-round finish saw him beat Ricards Bolotniks. Other seasoned international opponents like Marko Calic, Ryan Ford and Marco Antonio Periban could not reach the final bell when they shared the ring with the Londoner.
Buatsi won the British light-heavyweight title in 2019 when he blasted through Liam Conroy and he is on the cusp of more high-profile title fights.
The Londoner was also a decorated amateur boxer. He won the national amateur championships twice and qualified for the Olympic Games when he won the European Qualification Event in 2016. In that tournament, essentially a continental championship, he beat future World champion Oleksandr Khyzhniak and a sequence of other top-class opponents.
He boxed in spectacular style to win his Olympic bronze medal at Rio 2016 in a succession of wins that included the knockout of the tournament when Buatsi brushed aside three-time World medallist Elshod Rasulov with his trademark left hook.
One of the most sought-after fighters in world boxing after that Olympic Games, Buatsi completed his university degree before turning professional the following year.
At BOXXER Buatsi joins a roster packed with fellow Olympians, including Lauren Price, Ben Whittaker, Frazer Clarke, Natasha Jonas, Karriss Artingstall and Caroline Dubois.
BOXXER CEO & founder, Ben Shalom said: “We’re incredibly proud and excited to welcome Joshua Buatsi to the BOXXER stable. He is an exemplary role model and one of the most talented fighters we have in this country.
“Buatsi wants the biggest fights possible in front of the largest possible audience to achieve his unlimited potential. He feels he wants to make up for lost time and we’re looking forward to sharing this journey with him, as he sets out to bring major nights and titles to Britain.”
Buatsi said: “I want to get the biggest fights on the biggest, most accessible platform for sports fans, so that's why I've signed with BOXXER and Sky Sports.
"I'm happy to be at a channel that I feel is like the home of the nation.”
