Joshua Buatsi, Dan Azeez face off in final eliminator for WBA title
British light-heavyweights boxers, Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez, will put their friendship aside and face-off at London’s O2 Arena on October 21 in an eagerly anticipated final eliminator bout for the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight title.
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Buatsi (17-0, 13KOs) and Azeez (19-0, 13KOs) have held the first and second rankings, respectively by the WBA since November 2022.
Joshua Buatsi, originally from Accra but now based in London, aims to secure a world title shot for the first time in his career.
He boasts an impressive record of 17 wins in 17 fights, with an impressive knockout ratio of 76.47 per cent. He has knocked out 10 of his last 12 opponents, including recent unanimous decision victories over Craig Richards and Pawel Stepien.
His opponent, Dan “Super” Azeez, presents a formidable challenge. Azeez currently holds the European Boxing Union (EBU) Light Heavyweight title which he secured by knocking out Thomas Faure in the final round on March 12.
Additionally, Azeez is the reigning British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) light heavyweight champion and the Commonwealth Boxing Council light heavyweight champion.
He won the BBBofC title by defeating Shakan Peters via unanimous decision on September 3, 2022 and claimed the Commonwealth Boxing Council title by knocking out Rocky Fielding in the 8th round, while successfully retaining his BBBofC title.
The winner of the Buatsi vs Azeez bout will become the mandatory challenger for the current WBA Super World light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11KOs).
Bivol will undoubtedly face a strong contender as he defends his title against the victor of this eliminator bout.
