Anthony Joshua has declared his interest in an intriguing domestic battle between his fighter Joshua Buatsi and light-heavyweight rival Anthony Yarde after the lockdown ends.
IBF, WBA Super and WBO heavyweight champion Joshua, who manages the talented Buatsi, told Sky Sports that he sees shades of his longstanding rivalry with Dillian Whyte when weighing up a Buatsi-Yarde confrontation.
The unbeaten Buatsi (12-0, 10 KOs) appears destined for stardom at 175lbs after a flawless start to life in the paid ranks whilst the hard-hitting Yarde was widely praised for his showing against Sergey Kovalev in Russia back in August 2019.
Yarde (19-1, 18 KOs) still hopes to face the unbeaten Lyndon Arthur when boxing resumes though a potential showdown with Buatsi has been long debated by the British boxing fraternity.
“[A fight] against Anthony Yarde? As a fan, 100 per cent I’d like that,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “The lion Yarde against the lone wolf Buatsi. Two wild animals coming together to slug it out.
“One is an Olympian, the other is a East London-bred fighter from the Peacock Gym. So different. Like me and Dillian Whyte – I was the Olympian, Dillian was a South London-bred, rough fighter. A contrast that made for a great fight.
“I believe in Buatsi, he is talented, but he has to step his game up. Yarde went to world level against Kovalev and was beaten, but that experience does something to you, providing you don’t lose the hunger.”
