Joshua Buatsi will take part in a fight being widely viewed as an eliminator for the WBA light-heavyweight world title when he meets Craig Richards in an all-British battle at London's O2 Arena on May 21.
Managed by former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, heavy-handed Buatsi believes his meeting with former world challenger Richards will be another step on the way to world honours – and his confidence is the result of an impressive early career.
Joshua Buatsi pro boxing record
Since beating Carlos Mena at the O2 Arena on his professional debut in July 2017, Accra-born Buatsi has racked up a further 14 wins – and only two of his opponents have taken the 29-year-old the distance.
Buatsi won his WBA title by beating Ricards Bolotniks in his most recent fight, knocking out the Latvian in the 11th round at promoters Matchroom's UK base in August 2021.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| August 14, 2021 | Ricards Bolotniks | TKO (round 11) |
| May 15, 2021 | Daniel Dos Santos | TKO (4) |
| October 4, 2020 | Marko Calic | TKO (7) |
| August 31, 2019 | Ryan Ford | KO (7) |
| June 1, 2019 | Marco Antonio Periban | TKO (4) |
| March 23, 2019 | Liam Conroy | TKO (3) |
| December 22, 2018 | Renold Quinlan | TKO (1) |
| October 13, 2018 | Tony Averlant | TKO (1) |
| July 28, 2018 | Andrejs Pokumeiko | TKO (1) |
| May 5, 2018 | Stephane Cuevas | TKO (5) |
| March 31, 2018 | Bartlomiej Grafka | PTS (6) |
| February 3, 2018 | Jordan Joseph | TKO (2) |
| October 28, 2017 | Saidou Sall | PTS (6) |
| September 1, 2017 | Baptiste Castegnaro | TKO (5) |
| July 1, 2017 | Carlos Mena | TKO (2) |
Joshua Buatsi titles won
Although Buatsi says he does not precisely plan his schedule at the start of the year, he has unequivocally stated that he wants to win a world title in 2022 – and has also called out fellow former British champions Callum Smith, Callum Johnson, Anthony Yarde, Dan Azeez for an enthralling-sounding tournament.
The Sports Science graduate has an impressive amateur pedigree, too: Buatsi had won the English National Championships in successive years before he took bronze at the 2015 European Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Joshua Buatsi signature win
Knocking out Bolotniks represented a statement and the best win of Buatsi's career, dropping his durable opponent in the 11th with a right-hand that he could not recover from.
Bolotniks had won the Golden Contract tournament the previous year and had recovered from being floored in the sixth round, testing Buatsi's stamina and resolve with a commendable comeback that had seemed set to take the scrap to the scorecards. As it was, Buatsi found the answer.
🤯 What a KO
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) August 14, 2021
Joshua Buatsi (@boxingbuatsi) beats Ricard Bolotniks by TKO11 in WBA Light Heavyweight eliminator bout 🔥
🎥 @DAZNBoxing #Boxing #Boxeo #WBA #WBABoxing #WBA100years #BuatsiBolotniks pic.twitter.com/2CNkiOlcJT
Joshua Buatsi next fight
Richards should provide a telling test for Buatsi's title credentials because the 31-year-old challenged the division's current champion, Dmitry Bivol, in Manchester in May 2021, performing creditably in a points defeat against the Russian.
That was one of only two defeats Londoner Richards has suffered in his career. His other loss also came on points when he challenged Frank Buglioni in 2017 for the British title – a belt Richards went on to win in 2020.
Unbeaten Bivol defeated pound-for-pound number one Canelo Alvarez in the US on May 7 by unanimous decision – and although it would represent a huge step up, Buatsi will no doubt have an eye on the winner if he makes Richards his tenth successive knockout victim.