Joshua Buatsi was not irritated by the question.
He just doesn’t agree with the line of questioning.
Earlier in 2025, in February, he lost one of the best fights of the year to Liverpool’s Callum Smith in Saudi Arabia. There was not much between the two skilled light-heavyweights, but Smith was a worthy winner and Buatsi suffered his first loss in 20 pro fights.
Asked to consider whether his stock had risen in the loss, Buatsi initially said: “The feedback from me has been good, everything.”
Pride, however, stops Buatsi from leaving it there.
“But the result is still the same,” the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist pointed out. “If you’ve been on BoxRec today or whenever it is, you’re still going to go on there and see his last fight he lost, and that’s what people remember and that’s what people see. So, I mean, there’s been good feedback for me and everything but, ultimately, I didn’t come out on top. Sometimes I think there’s nothing to talk about. Yeah, it was a good fight, great. But I didn’t come on top.”
However, the fight was the type of contest that shows a fighter what they really have inside them. Was Buatsi not satisfied, at least, by that?
Well, if he was, only reluctantly.
“I mean, from that point of view, yeah, there was the question mark of, could I be in a tough fight? And if I were in one, how would I deal with it? So yeah, those questions were answered,” he explained. “I guess from that point of view, yeah, I had some questions that were answered. Is that satisfying? No. No. Not really, because again, you’re in it to win it. And you can’t say you’re satisfied if you didn’t win. What is there to be satisfied about? “There were questions asked. Did I answer all of them? No, because I didn’t win. So it lets me know that there’s more to be done, which is not a bad thing, but you’ve got work to do.”
And although there was plenty of action in the fight, some fans could not look beyond the fact the bout was played out in front of a sparse crowd in Riyadh when it could have attracted thousands to venues in the UK. Regardless of that, Buatsi said he felt the atmosphere in the venue was just fine.
“I thought it was [electric], to be honest,” said Buatsi. “A lot of people said stuff like that, but even when the rounds was an all-out war, everyone seemed interested. But to be fair, I was locked in the fight. I was too deep in the fight to think, ‘What are the crowd doing? Are they clapping? Are they interested or not?’ But I could hear noises. I knew I was in a fight. So it seemed okay to me. I’ll be honest. I can’t come out here and say, ‘Oh, they were too quiet’. I can’t say that, but you’re right, it being on British soil, it would have been an absolutely chaotic fight and just a reception and everything for sure.”
It is also a fight, too, that Buatsi hopes to get back.
“Absolutely, yeah, absolutely,” he insisted. “I don’t think I’ve echoed it enough, but if I were offered that fight straight away to say, ‘Oh, let’s run it back in a few months’ time’, I would have definitely taken it.”
The 32-year-old had been closing on a title shot having defeated Craig Richards, Pawel Stepien, Dan Azeez, and Willy Hutchinson.
On Saturday he faces Zach Parker – who is 26-1 and who’s done most of his work at 168lbs – knowing that the stakes are high. Buatsi is ranked fifth with the WBC and sixth with the WBO. Being close to a title fight, Buatsi is giving each bout its due respect.
“I’m motivated whenever I have a fight,” he said. “I’m driven and there’s a spark. Okay, you’ve got this fight with this guy. They think he can beat you. Okay, cool. Let’s get camp out of the way and let’s be disciplined in camp and let’s have the fight. So yeah, it’s a good opponent that’s been presented for November the 1st, so we’ve been preparing for it. Of course, the opportunities are great for whoever wins this fight. That’s why I say it’s something that I’m now looking forward to and something that I’m preparing now to make sure I come out on top.”
Buatsi has again been training in California with Virgil Hunter.
Through his career, he has been promoted by Matchroom, Boxxer and today by Queensberry. His opponent on Saturday, Parker, believes it is an instability that has cost Buatsi reaching his full potential.
“I don’t think that’s the reason why, by the way, but I think that I’ve been in good fights,” he said. “I’ve been in with a lot of good people, lost my last fight and now he’s the one that’s going to be in the way. So I think his views on my career, great. I don’t necessarily care, but we’ll meet each other this weekend.”
Buatsi has clearly done well from the sport. Whether he claims a world title in the future or not, he has made good money and he has made sure he has a cushion for when he retires. What he will do with his time, when he walks away, is another matter, but money should not be an issue.
“I think I’ve stressed enough that fighting is good and boxing is good, but while you’re handling that, make sure outside the ring, you’re good,” Buatsi said. “So if today, you can say, you know what? ‘I had a good run. I’m good, thank you’. What I’m happy about is that you’re not gonna now chuck a certain amount of money in front of me and make me act like a clown just because of that money. I’m able to say, ‘Yeah, that money’s great, but I’m good.’ I wouldn’t act like a fool. I wouldn’t act out of character. And I’ve always remained the same, I’d like to think, since I turned 14, because boxing’s only for a certain period of time.
“After this, I gotta go back to my family, my friends. I gotta go back to real life. So I’m not gonna be a certain way that I’m really not. That’s been quite important to me, but I’m in a good position to carry on being how I’ve been.”
But Buatsi admits that what comes next is a mystery, simply because while he’s fighting he is “all in”.
“That’s how it’s been before you heard of me or before anyone heard of me,” he added.
“But I’m aware that you’re not gonna box till you’re like 45, 50 and onwards. You are aware that actually this will stop at a certain point of time and then you’re back to who you were. “And if all your identity was in boxing, then it’s a long day for you [in retirement]. It’s a very long day once boxing ends. And we see that happen with a lot of athletes and a lot of fighters. Boxing isn’t the only thing… it’s how you know me, but there’s a lot of people that know me and it’s not because I’m a boxer. A lot of people know me from being that boxer, but that’s nice, but it’s not something strong to me.”
It doesn’t define him, nor does not having a world title.
Still, Buatsi wants more.
He wants to get there. He wants to fight the best. He has boxes to tick and no one is more aware of that than him.
“I think I can always say there’s more that I would have wanted,” he continued.
“And when it all finishes, I can truly give an answer. For now, I can’t. I can say, ‘Oh, let’s look at someone that hasn’t done well and say, oh, based on their career, I’m actually happy’.
“Or I can look at someone that’s done much better and say, based on their career, I’m unhappy. I’m trying to find that balance of being content because you have to be content in life. You have to be grateful for how things have gone. Because it could have definitely been worse. Trust me, it could have been way, way worse. Worse to a point where you wouldn’t want to interview me. It could have been really, really bad. And also, it could have been so amazing that I’d forget who I am and I’d lose myself. It’s a balance of everything.
“So who knows? When it’s over, then I can say, ‘Oh yeah, it went good’; ‘It didn’t go good’. Whatever it is that I say, I’m always going to find something good out of it. That’s one thing for sure.”
Buatsi’s start in Ghana and what he has seen in his life, and the journey he has taken, provides a stark contrast and understanding of how he views the world.
Some may say that, thus far, he’s an underachiever in the pros, but knowing how things began for him, the very question about over or underachieving cannot be restricted to just the sport.
“If I look at my story and where I came from, when I was a little kid growing up, I didn’t even used to like boxing,” he said. “I grew up in Ghana and it would come on and I’d be absolutely fuming if it was a 12-round fight because we didn’t have many channels, so if it was a 12-round fight, it’s going to take ages before I can see what else is on the programme. And coming from where I’ve come from, people asked me, ‘Oh yeah, did you have a dream to be a boxer as a kid?’. No, the hell I didn’t. I didn’t even know what boxing was. I didn’t even know what England was. I didn’t know what O2 Arena was. I didn’t know what the Olympics was. Never heard of Brazil. Never thought I’d ever go to Brazil. When I came to England, I thought Croydon is the only place I’m going to ever go to.
“When I was going to Sheffield to train with the Olympic team, it was a big thing. For me, it was like leaving the country because I’m going to Sheffield. So if I keep giving you examples, you get the gist of what I’m saying.
“All of this that’s happened, like growing up, you could never say, ‘Josh, you’re going to leave this one day’. You could never say to me, ‘You’re going to leave Ghana one day’.
“I’d be like, ‘Nope. Like, I’m born here. I’m here with my family. So why the hell would I leave?’ Then to say, once you leave Ghana to go to England, something’s going to happen. “You’re going to go to university; get a degree. You’re going to represent Great Britain. Not only that, but you’re going to actually win a European medal; an Olympic medal. The list goes on. So that should give the answer in itself. There’s so much that’s happened that was very unforeseen.”
Buatsi is keen to box in Africa. He’d like young African fighters to get the chance to box on his bill, and said the opportunity to box in Africa would be “amazing”.
As easily as Buatsi can reel off his amateur successes, he knew he was starting a very different journey in the pros. The waters of professional boxing are murky at best, and a career often accepts a trajectory that would be at home on a board of snakes and ladders.
“I was ready for a bit for it,” he smiled. “But also in a massive way I wasn’t. Turning pro, you think, ‘Look, I’m just going to turn professional, have fights, have fights, have fights, win, win, win, win, call it a day’. Nah, man, it’s far more than that. There’s a lot of people you need to avoid and a lot of responsibility you need to take on and put the right people in the right place, but also know that no one has your interest. So now you’ve got to find people that I think had your interest before you became anything. But as much as you’ve got to find those people, they need to be equipped enough to do what’s required. You can’t just put someone in place because you like them. No, you need to put the right person in place.
“It’s a lot of things you need to navigate and sort out, but it’s been a very interesting journey. But imagine if it was just straightforward and smooth, it wouldn’t be interesting. I’ve learned so much from it. Honestly, even being self-managed for so many years, I’ve learned so much from it and it’s all experience and knowledge that I feel I can pass on. And it would be bliss.”
If everything went to script, Buatsi would have already have faced London rival Anthony Yarde after years of the bout being teased.
Buatsi said, after his fight, he would put more thought toward Yarde’s November 22 bout against David Benavidez, but for now it’s about looking after his own interests and defeating Parker.
But, pressed on Yarde and whether they could eventually fight, Buatsi said: “I think we’re with the same promoter now. So if there’s a time where it seems more likely, you’d think it’s now. So after both of us have had our fights, we’ll see what happens.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
