Anthony Yarde, Joshua Buatsi, Craig Richards? "We all have to mix it up!" declares Dan Azeez; Reigning British champion Azeez fights Shakan Pitters this Saturday on the Liam Smith vs Hassan Mwakinyo, live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm and Sky Sports Main Event at 9.30pm
Wednesday 31 August 2022 00:23, UK
The top British light-heavyweights must fight one another, insists Dan Azeez.
Azeez is determined to make competitive fights himself. That's why on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, he's putting the British title on the line against former champion Shakan Pitters, a huge light-heavyweight at six foot six inches tall.
"I did say when I won the British title I want to fight against someone who everyone believes worthy," Azeez told Sky Sports.
The Londoner won the belt in an exciting fight with Hosea Burton. "Hosea was a former British champion trying to become two-time. Shakan's going to come with the same energy and hopefully it makes for a good fight," Azeez said.
"When I fight I want it to be fights against credible people. I won it against a credible fighter, I want to defend it against a credible fighter.
"I think that's the meaning of being a real champion. You defend what's yours."
The man from Catford is small light-heavy himself. Pitters will tower over him in the ring.
"It's a task but it's a task I relish," Azeez said. "With me I'm used to sparring tall people. I started training with the likes of Lawrence Okolie [now a cruiserweight world champion]. He's about the same height and I've done hundreds of rounds with him.
"A lot of people that I spar, they're quite tall so I'm used to it. There are ways. I won't give away my strategy now but it can be done.
"I want to see how he is in the trenches. I want him to take me to the trenches too. After the smoke's settled, let's see who's still there.
"That's the kind of fight I'm looking forward to."
London alone has a plethora of title-level light-heavyweights. Anthony Yarde holds the Commonwealth belt, which Azeez-Pitters is also an eliminator for. Joshua Buatsi and Craig Richards are both former British champions.
"We all need each other to build our names. We can all fight people that no one knows and stuff. But I think what really defines us is our dance partners. So I think all of us have all got to mix it up," Azeez said.
"We had Buatsi and Craig, that was a great fight. Lyndon [Arthur] and Yarde. I had Hosea, I'm going to fight Shakan next.
"I think we all need each other to set a legacy, for people down the line to [think] that era was wicked. Look at Benn, Eubank and Watson, that's just three fighters in that division that everyone still talks about. We've got about eight to 10 good light-heavies. South East London, we've got me, Craig, Buatsi. I think we all need each other to make this a defining era.
"It will happen. We're all going to mix it up. We have to.
"We all have to," he continued. "Nearly everyone's won the British title, Callum Johnson's won it, Callum Smith's won it, Buatsi's won it, I've won, Shakan's won it, most of us. So we've all got a claim to say look, I'm the best in Britain. So why not put it all on the line. I would love for us to do a tournament.
"Throw me in there any time, I don't mind."
Buatsi, Yarde and Richards have all fought at world level, something Azeez is yet to do. But he has had plenty of time in the ring with the best on the planet.
He spent a month as a key sparring partner for fearsome unified light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev ahead of his most recent fight, when he beat Joe Smith to add the WBO belt to the WBC and IBF titles he already held.
"He's just as brutal as you see him in his fights on fight night," Azeez said. "Crazy puncher. When I first got there, there was about eight sparring partners. Within a week it was down to about me and another person, maybe two others.
"I've never gone and seen someone train and everything's so structured. Out of everything, he's very, very, disciplined," Azeez added. "He'd give me advice as well, in the ring, while we were sparring, as well as outside. He was quite a jokey character as well.
"He's such a nice guy outside of the ring as well. It's crazy because he's like a demon in the ring and an angel outside."
Azeez intends to take those lessons into this fight. "When I saw at this level they actually practise certain things over and over again, it's very boring. But when you see them act it out on fight night, to a tee, you're like wow, okay so that's what you need to do to get it right," he said.
"One of the things Artur told me, as much as a brutal puncher as he is, he really wants to be a good boxer. 'But you're knocking everyone out, what do you care?' He's like no. That's why he's always practising, always in the gym, trying to work on technique.
"There's no perfection. You've got to work towards perfection but there is no perfection. You've just got to keep working."
Dan Azeez fights Shakan Pitters on the Liam Smith vs Hassan Mwakinyo bill this Saturday, live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm and Sky Sports Main Event at 9.30pm.
The biggest fight in the history of women's boxing - Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall - is live on Sky Sports on Saturday September 10. Be part of history and buy tickets for the London showdown here.
