YARDE’S JOSH WHAT I WANT
JOSHUA BUATSI insists he is ready to face Anthony Yarde in an all-british showdown, as he promised to get his career on the fast track.
The Ghanaian-born Brit dominated old pal Dan Azeez in an entertaining light-heavyweight clash on Saturday night at Wembley Arena.
The victory put Buatsi (above) in the mandatory position for the WBA title – but the belt is currently tied up with champion Dmitry Bivol set to face Artur Beterbiev on June 1.
That bout for all the titles in the division has a rematch clause, which means the belts could be unattainable for most of the year.
But Buatsi says he is not going to hang around after moving to 18-0 and is keen to face fellow Londoner Yarde, 32, who is in action next weekend at the Copper Box.
The 30-year-old said: “I know someone is going to say, ‘Is the Yarde fight next?’. Of course this was a final eliminator for the world title, but we live in England, we live in London and everyone wants to see that fight.
“I can push for it. He’s fighting next weekend, I did my part. Hopefully, it will open doors. Both of our stocks has risen. If I lost this one, there was nothing there for me.”
The clash between the two south Londoners, which pitted Croydon against Lewisham, was entertaining throughout.
Azeez, 34, played his part as he tested his former sparring partner, but Buatsi was always in control and it was clear he had gears to go through.
Buatsi twice floored his rival in the 11th, even though one of them was a slip after the canvas had become wet during the 12-round fight, which was also for the British and Commonwealth titles.
The Rio Olympic bronze medallist from 2016 had his man hurt again in the final round, but appeared to let him off the hook when he could have finished Azeez.
It was a sign of the respect between the pair, but it showed Buatsi needs to be more regular as he can bring entertainment to draw the crowds.
His professional career has been littered with injuries, promotional disputes and a PR disaster for a personal relationship with corrupt sports agent Maz Majeed.
But Buatsi added: “I moved over to Boxxer and Sky to be more active.
“After my fight in May, things didn’t go according to my plan but I stayed dedicated.
“I was straight back in camp, I’ve been in camp for months, I want to be active.”