CURRENT light-heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi is reportedly heading to pastures new as his Boxxer connection draws to a close. The subject of Boxxer’s current stable has been hotly debated of late, given their separation from Sky Sports.
Buatsi will be one of the first fighters to land elsewhere, according to reports from Yahoo Sports/Uncrowned, linking the fighter to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. Boxxer have since confirmed to Boxing News that Buatsi would be moving on, stating:
“To clarify, Joshua Buatsi’s promotional contract with BOXXER expired at the end of February. His final fight under the BOXXER banner was his bout against Callum Smith. Joshua Buatsi is a free agent. BOXXER wish him well in his future endeavours.”
The London fighter, who was previously contracted to Matchroom, before switching sides with some degree of contention, lost his unbeaten slate in February when outpointed by Callum Smith over 12 exciting rounds. Slipping to 19-1 (13 KOs), Buatsi’s WBO Interim title also transferred to Smith, who is now expected to defend it against David Morrell.
Suffice to say, Buatsi, 32, will be seeking a reboot with Frank Warren’s outfit, who are tipped to provide a home for him on DAZN. After turning pro in 2017, off the back of a run at the Olympics, Buatsi has taken a meandering route towards the top.
Victories over the likes of Craig Richards, Dan Azeez and Willy Hutchinson have separated him from the domestic scene, while the Smith clash would’ve taken Joshua to another level. It was not to be, as he dropped a unanimous verdict in Riyadh.
As for his former promoters, Boxxer, they’re still looking for a home to showcase their fighters, with the BBC iPlayer being mentioned. Promoter Ben Shalom handled the likes of Ben Whittaker, Frazer Clarke, Lauren Price, Callum Simpson and Adam Azim to varying levels of success during his stint with Sky.
