Unbeaten Croydon light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi closing in on world title shot

Joshua Buatsi is set for a world title shot early in 2022 after coming through the biggest test of his professional career at the weekend.

The 28-year-old light-heavyweight from Croydon stopped Latvian toughman Ricards Bolotniks in the 11th round on the Matchroom Fight Camp show in Brentwood, Essex.

A beautiful left-handed corkscrew shot – a brutal blend of uppercut and hook – dropped Bolotniks in the sixth round.

But Buatsi needed to recharge in the seventh and eighth rounds, unchartered territory since he entered the paid ranks, after a sustained onslaught failed to put Bolotniks away.

The South Londoner was deducted a point for a low blow but any notion of an upset was emphatically ended by a powerful shot which dropped a battered and exhausted Bolotniks through the ropes in the 11th, with referee Howard Foster waving the contest over.

Buatsi is ranked second by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and his latest ring outing was billed as an eliminator to meet their ‘super champion’ Dmitry Bivol, who outpointed Crystal Palace’s Craig Richards in Manchester in May.

Eddie Hearn, who has promoted Buatsi since he turned over following a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics, is confident he can make the bout happen.

“One, because Bivol is a great champion and, two, we’re working with him,” said the Matchroom Boxing chief. “That is a brilliant 02 [Arena in Greenwich] fight.

“To get a Brit in a fight like that, that kind of pedigree, at the 02 is the kind of nights we want to put on.

“I think Bivol will fight this year, have one more defence, and I think Buatsi will fight in the States in November or December – then I’d like to make the fight.

“If you win a world title at 175lbs then you’ve really earned it. If you beat Bivol, [Artur] Beterbiev or Joe Smith then you’re a proper world champion. It is a great division – and I think he is ready.

“It [the Bolotniks bout] couldn’t have gone better in terms of the fight, the style of the fight, the performance and the knockout win. You have to go to those places to even convince yourself that you’re ready for the Bivols, Beterbievs and Joe Smiths. You need a guy that you hurt like that and he keeps on coming.”

Anthony Joshua’s company 258 Management have helped plot Buatsi’s path since he went pro in July 2017.

Buatsi has total faith in his team to make the right fights at the right time.

“I won’t shy away from those other names,” he said. “I’ve shown I will handle business.

“I can’t say it [the Bolotniks fight] was easy because I had to think every round. But I was still able to entertain people and get the knockout – if I sense vulnerability it is game over.

“The game plan was to put him on the back foot because, watching his fights, he enjoys coming forward.

“People questioned the type of opponents I was fighting – the most I had done was seven rounds. They wondered what I’d be like in the second half of the fight. But I’ve always said that we train for the scheduled rounds. It’s not my fault that some of my fights were not going the distance – you don’t get paid for overtime.”

PICTURE: MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING