Joshua Buatsi gets British title shot – but promoter Eddie Hearn reckons he should have been facing Anthony Yarde

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Joshua Buatsi’s promoter Eddie Hearn reckons Anthony Yarde was pulled out of a domestic showdown with the Croydon prospect.

Croydon’s Buatsi is due to challenge for the vacant British light-heavyweight title against Liam Conroy in March.

But Hearn claims to have been hot for some time on Buatsi taking on Yarde, who has a 17-0 record and is highly-ranked by the WBO.

Buatsi is 9-0 and has already made two defences of the WBA international belt.

Hearn told IFL TV: “As I understood it – and there was no question this was supposed to happen – if Callum Johnson vacates to take a fight in America, who are the light-heavyweights you are going to order to fight in Britain?

“Buatsi is already in. Who is the other one? Who is he? Yarde.

“So I’m just speculating that perhaps a phonecall was made to say ‘don’t put Yarde forward for this fight’. 

“Why [would they order Conroy-Buatsi] when I know they were going to order Yarde? 

“The great news is, someone has got a big set of bollocks and he is called Liam Conroy. Congratulations Liam Conroy, he steps up and gets the payday to fight Buatsi.”