The light-heavyweight domestic British bout between Dan Azeez and Joshua Buatsi saw the latter grab a pivotal to not only become the BBBofC British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion, but further become recognized as the official WBA mandatory challenger of the 175 lbs division. The match headlined at the Wembley Arena in London on February 3rd, while the event was promoted by British promotional outfit Boxxer and broadcasted by Sky Sports.
Both Dan Azeez (20-1, 13 KO’s) and Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KO’s) came into the ring undefeated, though Azeez entered as the holder of both the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) and Commonwealth titles. With the two Brits being regarded as friends outside of the ring and them being familiar with each othe’s styles through numerous sparring sessions in the past, the relationship between the two showed through in the ring as neither fighter seemed willing to hurt the other.
Despite having no titles, Buatsi came in as the favorite―which can be attributed to him having had more notable opponents on his resume despite having several fights less than Azeez―and did not disappoint by taking most of the rounds.
With neither fighter truly willing to engage and hurt each other, the match did not turn into the spectacle that was expected and instead appeared to be more of a glorified sparring match. Buatsi’s boxing ability made it obvious early on that he would likely win the contest with his greater speed and arsenal of techniques, and Azeez seemed unwilling to attempt to damage Buatsi which did not help him in the long run of the fight.
While Azeez may have won some rounds and there were a couple of swing rounds that were too close to call, the efforts by both British light-heavyweights greatly soured what could have potentially been a great match. As Buatsi proved in his last couple of matches, his jab was a key weapon in his gameplan that Azeez had no answers for.
Azeez did attempt to pressure Buatsi at times, but found no real success as Buatsi successfully maintained his distance well, and countered just as seamlessly when needed. While there did seem to be opportunities for Azeez to truly hurt Buatsi, there was a sense of an unwillingness to damage his opponent that was reflected through his efforts; and that also was reflected by Buatsi who refused to take advantage of any chance to put Azeez out, especially in the latter portion of the twelve-round bout when Azeez was clearly tiring.
Peculiarly, the eleventh round saw Azeez arguably slip twice to result in two knockdowns for Buatsi. At least knockdown appeared to be legit due to Azeez having fallen after a punch by Buatsi, while another knockdown was more contentious due to what could have been Azeez being off-balance, the ring being too slippery or a combination of both. Nonetheless, two knockdowns were counted for Buatsi; allowing him to take a firm lead with scores of 10-7 for the round.
Following the twelfth and last round in which Buatsi definitively dominated, Buatsi was announced the winner by unanimous decision (UD) with scores of 119-109 and 118-110 twice. Overall, it was a good performance from Buatsi but one that appeared dimmed by the relationship he had with Azeez. However, Buatsi’s previous match showed a same sort of unwillingness to put himself on the line, suggesting that Buatsi has adapted to become more defensively responsible.
Due to partially this stance by Buatsi to box rather than fight, there are doubts as to whether he is able to reach the levels that are required for him to become world champion. Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KO’s) currently reigns as the WBA champion in the light-heavyweight division, and though he is also known for his tendency to box, he has displayed great range in what he is able to do and can adapt to becoming ultra-aggressive when needed.
Approximately a year ago, Buatsi already had a chance to face Bivol but had refused the opportunity citing monetary reasons. Now that he is officially the mandatory, there may not be much of a difference in his amount of earnings as the fighters in these mandatory bouts are often subject to set percentages that they can earn; which is substantially less for the mandatory challenger. Though bonuses and other financial stipulations can always be negotiated in such contracts, non-mandated fights can often yield more if negotiated right as there is more wiggle room for such bonuses.
Moreover, Buatsi will face tougher opposition if he does face the WBA champion. Currently, Bivol is rumored to face unified light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO’s) in an undisputed fight this year. If Beterbiev comes out on top, Buatsi will be matched against an opponent with a high-knockout percentage and skills to boot.
If Bivol comes out on top in the purported undisputed 175 lbs bout, Buatsi will undoubtedly face a tougher and more experienced Bivol than he could faced the year prior. Either way, improvements must be key for Buatsi moving forward as he gears himself up for a future world title fight.
The Boxxer-promoted card further featured British women’s IBO lightweight champion Caroline Dubois (9-0, 5 KO’s) defending her title for the first time since conquering it in September of last year. Dubois faced American contender Miranda Reyes (7-2-1, 3 KO’s) and proved herself to be ready to challenge for a title of one of the major sanctioning bodies by winning every round (ten in total); resulting her winning by a clean and absolute UD victory with all three judges’ scores of 100-90 reflecting her dominance.
140 lbs British contender Adam Azim (11-0, 8 KO’s) also progressed up in the rankings with a fifth-round knockout (KO) victory over Danish contender Enock Poulsen (14-1, 5 KO’s), while light-heavyweight prospect Ben Whittaker (6-0, 5 KO’s) netted his fourth stoppage/knockout win in a row by stopping French journeyman Khalid Graidia (10-14-5, 2 KO’s) in the first round.
