For a while now the question has contained a trio of answers for us to pick from. Callum Johnson, Anthony Yarde and Joshua Buatsi. On Saturday night in London the trio became a quartet when Lyndon Arthur defeated Yarde in the second defence of his 175lbs Commonwealth title. With Buatsi showing vulnerabilities in October against the unfancied Marko Calic, and Johnson still without a fight in 21 months it is as good a time as any to ask who is number one.
We begin with the immediate impact felt on the domestic division from Saturday. Yarde, 29, suffered his second career loss when Lyndon Arthur defeated the Londoner by split decision. It was in all honesty a dire spectacle that failed to deliver on its potential. What we did witness, though, was the hidden gem of ‘King’ Arthur discovered for all to see on BT Sport.
The 29-year-old Mancunian kept Yarde at bay with a crisp jab. Yarde’s attempts to manoeuvre his way past the shot were futile while following the champion around the ring on repeat. Arthur was rarely troubled aside from a front foot attack of Yarde’s, which he had tried throughout, late on where he (Arthur) looked buzzed and then hurt by a body shot. The scorecards, the fall out and Arthur’s inability to throw his right hand aren’t for this article but Yarde looked like a one-trick pony at times against a man who potentially didn’t show his full hand.
Arthur and trainer Pat Barrett rolled out tactics that befuddled Yarde and his corner led by its mouthpiece Tunde Ajayi. Arthur and Barrett should look for rewards beyond domestic level, but the fighter could do a job on ‘The Beast’ if a rematch is made. The night belonged to ‘King’ Arthur. His jab was his sword, but no slaying of a beast was needed because nothing decisive was needed in all honesty. There was no fire from Yarde who now finds himself behind the leading men in his weight class.
Joshua Buatsi v Anthony Yarde, a fight long talked about to determine the number one position and considered as a pay-per-view event should now have a status of “Not bothered” next to it. Buatsi isn’t one to crow publicly about another man’s loss but even he could have afforded himself a smile at hearing about Yarde’s latest defeat.
Buatsi’s future took an interesting turn in October. The way in which he eventually removed Marko Calic may have been expected but the problems beforehand, perhaps not so much. We saw Buatsi’s occasional lack of ring discipline hit him in the face and body such was his desire to yet again have a fight. One senses Buatsi could win fights easier than he chooses to. His guile and shot selection are lovely to watch and his ruthlessness is an essential requirement moving forward.
Calic, who proved to be a worthy nuisance, showed how to trouble the 27-year-old but in doing so brought down his own demise. It was refreshing to see Buatsi marked, in trouble and challenged. We hadn’t seen much of it in the 12 fights prior. Yes, Yarde may have lost to Sergey Kovalev and Lyndon Arthur but Buatsi hasn’t really been in with that quality of opponent yet. The eye test would have Buatsi top of the tree but there is a question mark around it. 2021 will tell us if he is possibly just best of British or far beyond that level.
Any man who can go toe-to-toe with Artur Beterbiev, drop him and work himself into a position of taking the Russian’s IBF world title should be number one but Callum Johnson can’t dine out on that forever. How history might have changed if Johnson had capitalised on that second-round knockdown and finished the job off the way we know that he can. That was over two years ago. Since then, Johnson made light work of a faded Sean Monaghan. The inactivity remains a problem that has blighted Johnson’s career. He should be the best in Britain but can a man who hasn’t fought in so long really be described as such?
Johnson has the mentality, the abilities and above all else the power to beat Buatsi, Yarde or Arthur but are we ever going to see it. His trainer Joe Gallagher seemingly has a strained relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn who has worked with Johnson over the last few years. The 2010 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist is now 35 and has been a pro for ten years with 19 fights in that time. Do the math. It’s not what he would have wanted. There are reasons for such low numbers, but time is running out on Johnson’s shelf life. Something has to give for his career to resume on the big stage.
Let us not ignore the fact too that on December 18 the top end of the domestic scene at 175lbs might be opened up even more by the winner of the British title fight between Shakhan Pitters and Craig Richards. And where in the world is Hosea Burton? The semi-final loss to eventual MTK Golden Contract winner Ricards Bolotniks was a kick in the… but the former Lonsdale belt holder still has something to offer.
2021 is pivotal for a variety of reasons for the four men discussed. Careers could rise as fast as they drop or disappear into insignificance. You will have your own verdicts on one to four. For me it’s 1: Johnson, 2: Buatsi, 3: Arthur and 4: Yarde.
Boxing Social colleagues Luke G. Williams and Craig Scott gave their rankings and opinions.
Luke G. Williams’ top 4:
- Arthur
- Johnson
- Buatsi
- Yarde
“Arthur’s win against Yarde trumps Johnson, who has faced the best opposition overall and whose wins against Frank Buglioni and Monaghan trump anything on Buatsi or Yarde’s CV so far. It’s unfortunate that Johnson has been so inactive the last few years as he is possibly the hardest puncher of this quartet and would fancy his chances against any of them right now. Buatsi has the most potential and will probably go the furthest of all. Any match-up from among these four would be welcome – so – boxing being boxing – expect to see none of them squaring off any time soon.”
Craig Scott’s top 4:
- Johnson
- Buatsi
- Arthur
- Yarde
“That’s a mixture of best wins and potential/ability. I think Johnson has had the bigger fights with the more impressive list of victims, but I think Buatsi will go on to achieve more, so I’ve placed him above Arthur and Yarde for now, while I expect he could end up as number one. It’s just a real shame Callum Johnson hasn’t been allowed to kick on.”