JOSHUA BOXES CLEVER
BUATSI is ready to swap his 2:1 for one-twos after being signed by Anthony Joshua.
The 24-year-old will graduate from St Mary’s University this month after finally completing his course in management studies and sport science.
And the Olympic bronze medallist will celebrate by making his professional debut at London’s O2 Arena on July 1 after penning promotional terms with Matchroom Sport.
But his boss will be the IBF and WBA world heavyweight champion Joshua, who has decided to make Buatsi the second signing to his AJ Boxing management team. The light-heavyweight said: “I know Joshua well from the GB setup and I feel like the AJ Boxing team have done a great job.
“They have taken someone from the same background as me and handled it brilliantly.
“He’s officially my manager, so I have access to Josh – he rang me yesterday to wish me luck and run through a few things.
“It’s good to have someone who has been through it already behind me.”
Now Buatsi can finally ditch his textbooks after nearly five years of combining boxing with his studies.
He said: “I went back to uni two weeks after I landed back from Rio. That was quite a humbling experience.
“I had a bronze medal and thought, ‘Do I really have to do this?’. But I made sure I got it done.
“I’d go to Sheffield and train three times in a day and then go home late at night, open my laptop and write a huge essay.
“My brain was fried. I’m glad it’s over and it’s all boxing for me now.
“I didn’t live on Super Noodles or drink, though. I sacrificed that uni lifestyle for this and I’m more than happy I did.”