Joshua Buatsi pulls out of Maxim Vlasov bout due to injury
Top light heavyweight contender Joshua “Just Business” Buatsi (15-0, 13ko) suffered a hand injury that will push back his fight with former title contender Maxim Vlasov (45-4, 26ko). The aforementioned fighters were set to trade leather on December 18.
Buasti holds a high ranking in all four major sanctioning bodies, #4 (WBC), #5 (WBO), and #2 (WBA, IBF). This was going to be a good measuring stick before deciding to push for a world championship.
THE INJURY CAME AT A BAD TIME
Armed with new trainer Virgil Hunter, the Ghanaian native has looked impressive with devastating knockouts in his last two fights. He was eager to learn from the man responsible for Hall of Famer Andre Ward’s career. It was evident when Buatsi went old school by moving to the USA to be close to Hunter. Against another rising, undefeated light heavyweight prospect, Daniel Dos Santos, Buatsi delivered a meme-style knockout, folding the French fighter like a lawn chair.
Deflated about the injury, “Just Business” took to social media to express his frustration.
Joshua Buatsi captured the vacant WBA international title back in 2018. To date, he has made six successful defenses of the minor title. At one point, the hard-punching top contender was on pace to score a mega-fight with former WBO title challenger Anthony Yarde. However, the 2020 pandemic killed the fight, and recently Yarde is looking to rematch Lyndon Arthur.
Maxim Vlasov is currently ranked #4 by the WBO was hoping to use this fight to catapult him back into a rematch with current champion Joe Smith Jr. The two fighters fought for the vacant WBO title, which saw the Russian fighter lose by majority decision on April 10.
The former title contender has to be demoralized about hearing this news. Many fans felt he should have gotten the decision against Smith and was viewed as an even more dangerous threat to Buatsi. Will the fight be revisited in 2022? The fight may take place next year. Joshua Buatsi will likely want to take a tune-up fight to test out the hand before looking in Vlasov’s direction.
By: Garrisson Bland
