Joshua Buatsi and Zach Parker were in agreement that previous contests will not play a part when they meet on November 1.
The pair are coming off contests that have raised questions over their ability to compete at the top level of the sport. Buatsi, coming off a defeat to Callum Smith in a thriller out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while Parker struggled in what should have been a routine win over Mickael Diallo.
“I believe in my own skills, we’ll come in with a good gameplan,” Parker said. “Josh [Buatsi] has just come off a loss, you don’t know how he’s going to bounce back from that. I’m really excited.”
The contest will be Buatsi’s first under Frank Warren’s Queensberry banner since leaving Ben Shalom’s Boxxer.
“We were turning a new leaf, and we chose to come here,” Buatsi said. “I feel like I need to win. I’ve never put that pressure that you guys put on me, primarily because I put more pressure on myself. Pressure from the external doesn’t matter to me. I put a lot of pressure on myself. My job here is to win. That’s who I need to deal with. In terms of the underdog mentality, I’ve carried that for years. It’s about showing I can bounce back from a loss.”
Victory will push the winner back in contention for a world championship, while the loser will have to seriously question their place in the sport. This represents the second time the pair have squared off, with their first meeting coming during their stint in the unpaid ranks.
Zach Parker said: “It was a long time ago, I got cut in the third round, it got stopped on a cut.”
“I remember where it was, I think it was Liverpool in the nationals,” said Buatsi. “It’s someone I boxed years ago, but again, we’ve both turned pro a long time ago. The style I had back then is completely different to now. It’s a new challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s against someone that knows a win puts him closer to where he needs to be, and it’s the same for me.”
