JOSHUA: I’M A WORLD TITLE GLORY HUNTER NOW

JOSHUA BUATSI says new trainer Virgil Hunter can steer him to a world title win.

Buatsi faces Daniel Blenda Dos Santos tonight at Manchester Arena for the WBA International lightheavyweight title in his first fight with Hunter, and says he has told him to look for openings.

The unbeaten Olympic bronze medallist (training with Hunter, right) said: “I was out in San Francisco with him for eight weeks and I’ve learnt a lot. One thing I have learnt is some of his instructions.

“Yeah, they were boxing-related, but they were more mental-related. And how they explain things, the metaphors they use to explain things is different to how we explain things. He teaches you to think about what’s open, what’s available, and then you take that opening.

“You don’t just start throwing haymakers. You touch and touch to see what’s available and when an opening becomes available, you take it.” Buatsi, 28, who is 13-0, chose Hunter because he was so impressed watching his most famous protege Andre Ward as an amateur. He met Ward a couple of times when the former unbeaten two-weight world champ dropped into Hunter’s gym in Oakland and says he passed on some tips. “From the amateurs, I watched a bit of Ward and I thought I like this style,” added the Croydon fighter. “I wondered who trained him to fight like that and I found out it was Virgil. It was great to listen to him and one thing he talked about was resting.

“He said it’s important to get the work in, but it’s important to rest as well and let the work you’ve done, get the rewards through recovery.”

Buatsi wants to be busy and is targeting a place on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s £200million super fight with Tyson Fury if it goes ahead on August 14 in Jeddah.

“I would just love to be on that bill,” he said.