Joshua Buatsi Looking to Face Anthony Yarde Next
For several years in British talking circles, there’s been talk of a potential fight light heavyweight showdown between Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs) and Anthony Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs). Is that match on the verge of happening? If it were up to Buatsi, it’s a fight he wants to happen.
Buatsi is coming off a ten-round decision victory over Pawel Stepien on May 6. After the win, Buatsi sat down with iFL TV. When asked who he would like to face next, Buatsi said that if it happens to be Yarde, he’s all for it.
“I want a big, big British blockbuster. The Yarde fight; if it can happen, I’ll be very happy, man, because I think people have been talking about that for a very long time.
So, I’m free now. Yarde is free, as well. I don’t know when he wants to fight next. But if it’s me, then let’s make it happen. Yeah, let’s make it happen.”
Stepien was Buatsi’s first fight in a year. During the time off, the 30-year-old parted ways with Matchroom and signed a multi-fight deal with Boxxer. Ben Shalom, CEO of Boxxer, has expressed an interest in putting them in the ring against each other.
WHY IT MAKES SENSE
Currently ranked number one by the WBA, Buasti would love to fight reigning WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. But Bivol’s next outing is expected to be a rematch against reigning super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez later this year.
Shalom and Buatsi both understand this reality. It’s why a matchup with Yarde seems to be at play. Yarde has been out of the ring since getting stopped in eight rounds by unified 175-pound champion Artur Beterbiev in January 2023. One would guess that Yarde is looking to get into world title contention. A fight and win over Buatsi would do just that.
While it would not garner much international attention, Buatsi-Yarde would get plenty of coverage in their home country of England. It’s a makeable fight. Look for Shalom to reach out to the representatives of Yarde in hopes of trying to strike a deal for later this year.
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