Grateful Joshua Buatsi sets himself up for Beterbiev-Bivol winner

Joshua Buatsi has placed himself at the front of the queue to face the win over the October 12 clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitriy Bivol.

The two Russians fight in Saudi Arabia to unify all of the belts at 175lbs and following his points victory over Willy Hutchinson in Wembley Stadium last night (September 15), Buatsi – as the WBO’s interim champion – is in pole position to face the winner.

The Ghana-born Londoner, now 19-0 (8 KOs) said he was ready for his big chance.

“If not, I wouldn’t have taken this fight,” said the 31-year-old. “It was for the interim, the winner gets the shot, I got the win so it’s very self-explanatory.”

Buatsi won via split decision, but dropped Hutchinson twice and the Scot also had a point deducted. Buatsi was a deserved winner, sticking to his fundamentals and investing in bodywork that gave Hutchinson a multitude of problems.

“Willy was tricky. I have to give him credit,” Buatsi added. “This fight wouldn’t have got the attention it got if not because of him. I said that to him in the ring. I said, ‘Tough fight.’ When we were doing the medicals together, I said, ‘Willy, respect to you, man.’ I met his dad and grandad, lovely men. I thanked them.

“He’s a hell of a tough guy. I said to him, ‘Willy, I wasn’t that good when I was 26, 25, so props to you’. He’s a very tough man. I’ll give him credit. He got up every time. When I was hitting him, I knew I was hurting him. He got up every time and came back stronger.”

Buatsi, who trains under the watchful eye of SNAC founder Victor Conte and sprint coach Remi Korchemny, as well as trainer Virgil Hunter, thanked his team and also discussed the magnitude of the fight week that it rounded off, on a bill topped by Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua. 

“My team, I want to shine the light on them,” said Buatsi. “They were fantastic with me, I felt the last two weeks I was a bit weird towards them, so the support system that I’ve got, my family and my friends, I’m forever grateful.

“It’s been a helluva a week. We can’t say it’s been a normal fight week, because it hasn’t. I’ve never been to Central London this many times in one week. We kept on doing it. [It was] a bit annoying, but credit to Riyadh Season, it’s been a massive build up, I got the win, I’m forever grateful.”