Joshua Buatsi secured a unanimous-decision win over fellow Londoner Dan Azeez at the weekend, and has revealed that he is prepared to take on another domestic rival in the light-heavyweight division.
Olympic bronze-medallist Buatsi extended his unbeaten record to 18-0 on Saturday night, with one of his strongest performances in the professional ring to date, silencing his doubters after a stagnant couple of years for the 30-year-old.
Ranked in the top three with each of the four sanctioning bodies, ‘JB’ is well poised for a shot at the winner of the upcoming undisputed light-heavyweight title showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
However, in an interview with Boxing King Media, Buatsi stated that he does not want to put his career on hold for a shot at the undisputed crown, instead outlining Anthony Yarde as his next target.
“That felt like a big fight [against Azeez], it was nice to be in that. I want another one and I feel like you’re leaning towards the Anthony Yarde question, so I’ll get it out there.
“If the unification for the undisputed belt is in June, of course I would like to be active, I am not going to sit down and wait.
“They might even do a rematch to make it clear, so I am open and available to fight Yarde, it’s something that I said I want to happen this year so I am more than happy for that [to happen].”
Unlike Buatsi, Yarde has twice challenged for world honours, losing by knockout to Beterbiev last year and to Sergey Kovalev three-and-a-half years prior.
The traditional skill of Buatsi versus the knockout power of Yarde should make for an intriguing battle and has all the makings of a British barnstormer.