Joshua Buatsi has signed promotional terms with Queensberry Promotions.
The light heavyweight’s agreement with Boxxer concluded when in February he lost to Callum Smith. His move to Frank Warren’s Queensberry means that, after having left Matchroom for Boxxer – he explained partly because of his preference for his fights to be broadcast on Sky Sports instead of DAZN – he will have worked with each of the UK’s three leading promotional organisations, and is returning to DAZN.
“After speaking with multiple promoters, Queensberry has a plan I’m comfortable with,” Buatsi explained. “I’m a British fighter, and the support I get from UK fans means everything.
“There’s nothing like fighting in front of a home crowd – the energy, the passion – it drives me. With Queensberry, I’ve got a team that understands that and backs me properly here in the UK.
At the same time, their international links mean I can still make moves in the US and globally. Most importantly, they’ve got the right plan for my career – not just big fights, but the right fights, at the right time as I’m on the journey to become a world champion.”
It was announced earlier on Friday that Bradley Rea, the European light-heavyweight champion, had signed a promotional agreement with Queensberry. Anthony Yarde, who fights David Benavidez for the WBC light-heavyweight title on November 22, has been promoted by Warren for the majority of his career and represents another potential future opponent for the 32-year-old Buatsi.
“I am delighted to bring Joshua on board with us at Queensberry and to showcase him on DAZN,” Warren said. “The light heavyweights possess so much quality, and Josh will be a major mover in the division and right in the mix for world-title contention.
“When [Dmitry] Bivol and [Artur] Beterbiev settle their trilogy sequence the division should open up and there will be massive fights to be made. There is also the Benavidez-Yarde world-title fight coming up in Riyadh and Josh will be a natural candidate to take on the winner.
“In the meantime, we will keep Josh busy and ready for the major challenges, with regular activity being something he has lacked in recent years.
“I am looking forward to the journey and keep an eye out for pending news of Josh’s next move.”
