Official weights (on Friday): Buatsi 174, Dos Santos 172.75
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Lerrone Richards vs. Giovanni De Carolis, super middleweights; Gamal Yafai vs. Jason Cunningham, junior featherweights; Tommy McCarthy vs. Alexandru Jur, cruiserweights; Dalton Smith vs. Lee Appleyard, junior welterweights
Prediction: Buatsi KO 9
Background: A women’s title-unification fight between Terri Harper and Hyun-Mi Choi was scheduled to headline this card but it was postponed after Harper injured her hand in training. Buatsi, a native of Ghana who lives in London, is a rising 28-year-old 175-pounder angling for a title shot. He has stopped his last eight opponents, including previously unbeaten Marko Calic in seven rounds in his most-recent fight this past October. He then took what he hopes is the next step in his development by teaming up with trainer Virgil Hunter in California. Buatsi is ranked in the Top 7 of all four major sanctioning bodies, which means a title shot is likely in his near future if he continues to win. Dos Santos, a 30-year-old Frenchman who has never fought outside his country, is taking a significant step up in opposition. His last six opponents – and 11 overall — have had losing records.
Official weights (on Friday): Buatsi 174, Dos Santos 172.75
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Lerrone Richards vs. Giovanni De Carolis, super middleweights; Gamal Yafai vs. Jason Cunningham, junior featherweights; Tommy McCarthy vs. Alexandru Jur, cruiserweights; Dalton Smith vs. Lee Appleyard, junior welterweights
Prediction: Buatsi KO 9
Background: A women’s title-unification fight between Terri Harper and Hyun-Mi Choi was scheduled to headline this card but it was postponed after Harper injured her hand in training. Buatsi, a native of Ghana who lives in London, is a rising 28-year-old 175-pounder angling for a title shot. He has stopped his last eight opponents, including previously unbeaten Marko Calic in seven rounds in his most-recent fight this past October. He then took what he hopes is the next step in his development by teaming up with trainer Virgil Hunter in California. Buatsi is ranked in the Top 7 of all four major sanctioning bodies, which means a title shot is likely in his near future if he continues to win. Dos Santos, a 30-year-old Frenchman who has never fought outside his country, is taking a significant step up in opposition. His last six opponents – and 11 overall — have had losing records.
Joshua Buatsi stopped Marko Calic in the seventh round Sunday in Milton Keynes, England.
Joshua Buatsi received significant resistance from Marko Calic but got the job done Sunday in Milton Keynes, England.
Butasi, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, stopped the previously unbeaten Calic in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout to retain his perfect record.
Buatsi (13-0, 11 KOs) wore down Calic (11-1, 6 KOs) with a variety of hard shots – including consistent body work – but the Londoner took more punishment himself than one might expect from a fighter with his pedigree.
Calic, a beaten man, went down under a barrage of punches in the final round. The referee allowed him to continue but the Croatian’s corner stopped the fight at that point. The official time of the stoppage was 2:09 of Round 7.
Afterward, Calic indicated that he believes he suffered a broken jaw in the fight.
“Props to Calic,”Buatsi said. “He told me his jaw was broken. He pushed me all the way and credit to him, I had to dig deep. I got a thumb in the third round and felt the swelling straight away.
“It’s never happened before, but we bite down and we fight. It’s the fight game, when you are in there, you do what you have to do to win.”
Buatsi was fighting for the first time since he stopped Ryan Ford in seven rounds in August of last year. He said he wants to get back into the ring before the end of this year.
“Four hundred days out of the ring,” he said. “The first one back is quite different, but I enjoyed it. … As long as I am moving forward. As long as I am moving forward, no matter how slow, no matter how quick, I am moving forward. It’s good to be back.”
Joshua Buatsi stopped Marko Calic in the seventh round Sunday in Milton Keynes, England.
Joshua Buatsi received significant resistance from Marko Calic but got the job done Sunday in Milton Keynes, England.
Butasi, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, stopped the previously unbeaten Calic in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout to retain his perfect record.
Buatsi (13-0, 11 KOs) wore down Calic (11-1, 6 KOs) with a variety of hard shots – including consistent body work – but the Londoner took more punishment himself than one might expect from a fighter with his pedigree.
Calic, a beaten man, went down under a barrage of punches in the final round. The referee allowed him to continue but the Croatian’s corner stopped the fight at that point. The official time of the stoppage was 2:09 of Round 7.
Afterward, Calic indicated that he believes he suffered a broken jaw in the fight.
“Props to Calic,”Buatsi said. “He told me his jaw was broken. He pushed me all the way and credit to him, I had to dig deep. I got a thumb in the third round and felt the swelling straight away.
“It’s never happened before, but we bite down and we fight. It’s the fight game, when you are in there, you do what you have to do to win.”
Buatsi was fighting for the first time since he stopped Ryan Ford in seven rounds in August of last year. He said he wants to get back into the ring before the end of this year.
“Four hundred days out of the ring,” he said. “The first one back is quite different, but I enjoyed it. … As long as I am moving forward. As long as I am moving forward, no matter how slow, no matter how quick, I am moving forward. It’s good to be back.”
Joshua Buatsi wants to show against Marko Calic on Oct. 4 that he has added to his game after a year out of the ring.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
***
Joshua Buatsi wants to show against Marko Calic on Oct. 4 that he has added to his game after a year out of the ring.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist said that he put Britain’s coronavirus lockdown to good use.
“Just training alone. I was out there cycling for hours. Running. The weather was really good. It was quite straightforward. Not everyone found it easy, but for myself it was straightforward,” he told Matchroom.
Buatsi ran through the string of cancellations and disappointments that have kept him out of competition for so long.
“I boxed 31 August 2019. Then I was meant to box 2 November 2019,” he said “Three weeks before that I was very, very ill. The doctor advised me not to fight. I said I was going to go ahead with it. Then the doctor advised my coach that I really shouldn’t go ahead with it, so I stepped aside to get better.”
He went on: “March 28 2020 that was the next day. I did nine weeks in camp, and two weeks [before the fight] it was canceled because of the coronavirus. That took some time, then we were on lockdown for six months.”
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old native of Ghana did not get down over the lack of action. He looked at the positives.
“There is always something positive to take out of these situations,” he said. “My body has rested when it needed to. There’s less battering, the grind against your body.
“I’ve stayed in the gym for as long as I can. I’m healthy, I’m fit, I’m strong, I’m good to go.”
He believes he’ll feel comfortable once he gets rolling in the fight.
“It will be a bit awkward getting back into it, but once I’m in there with someone looking to take my head off, it’s time to fight,” he said. “I still have to protect myself, and defend myself. I have to get to them before they get to you. That’s my mentality.”
Joshua Buatsi wants to show against Marko Calic on Oct. 4 that he has added to his game after a year out of the ring.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
***
Joshua Buatsi wants to show against Marko Calic on Oct. 4 that he has added to his game after a year out of the ring.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist said that he put Britain’s coronavirus lockdown to good use.
“Just training alone. I was out there cycling for hours. Running. The weather was really good. It was quite straightforward. Not everyone found it easy, but for myself it was straightforward,” he told Matchroom.
Buatsi ran through the string of cancellations and disappointments that have kept him out of competition for so long.
“I boxed 31 August 2019. Then I was meant to box 2 November 2019,” he said “Three weeks before that I was very, very ill. The doctor advised me not to fight. I said I was going to go ahead with it. Then the doctor advised my coach that I really shouldn’t go ahead with it, so I stepped aside to get better.”
He went on: “March 28 2020 that was the next day. I did nine weeks in camp, and two weeks [before the fight] it was canceled because of the coronavirus. That took some time, then we were on lockdown for six months.”
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old native of Ghana did not get down over the lack of action. He looked at the positives.
“There is always something positive to take out of these situations,” he said. “My body has rested when it needed to. There’s less battering, the grind against your body.
“I’ve stayed in the gym for as long as I can. I’m healthy, I’m fit, I’m strong, I’m good to go.”
He believes he’ll feel comfortable once he gets rolling in the fight.
“It will be a bit awkward getting back into it, but once I’m in there with someone looking to take my head off, it’s time to fight,” he said. “I still have to protect myself, and defend myself. I have to get to them before they get to you. That’s my mentality.”
When: Wednesday, Sept. 30 Where: York Hall, London TV: ESPN+ Division: Junior lightweight At stake: Final of Golden Contract tournament Odds: NA Also on the card (Part I of PPV): Ryan Walsh vs. Jazza Dickens, featherweights (Golden Contract); Liam Conroy vs. Serge Michel, light heavyweights (Golden Contract) Prediction: Davies KO 9 Background: McKenna has been calling out Davies for some time and will finally get his wish in a scheduled 10-round bout. Davies has won three consecutive fights since his high-profile unanimous-decision loss to Jack Catterall in October 2018, including a clear decision over veteran Miguel Vazquez. The 28-year-old Londoner last fought on Feb. 21, stopping Jeff Ofori in six rounds. Davies has only the loss to Catterall following his seventh-round knockout loss to Josh Taylor in July 2017. McKenna has won five straight since his only defeat, also at the hands of Catterall, in June 2018. The 30-year-old Irishman doesn’t have much punching power but loves to please the fans by mixing it up. He has said going into this fight that he will surprise some people with his boxing skills. McKenna is ranked No. 15 by the WBC. The winner of the Davies-McKenna fight will receive a contract with the combat sports management and promotional firm MTK Global.
***
JOSE ZEPEDA (32-2, 25 KOs)
VS. IVAN BARANCHYK (20-1, 13 KOs)
When: Saturday, Oct. 3 Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas TV: ESPN+ Division: Junior welterweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card: Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Ryan Kielczweski, lightweights; Kingsley Ibeh vs. Guido Vianello, heavyweights Prediction: Zepeda UD Background: Zepeda and Baranchyk were supposed to have met in July but Baranchyk was injured in sparring and had to pull out. The winner of this battle between the two highly ranked contenders will inch closer to a title shot. Zepeda is a proven commodity, having lost a razor-thin majority decision in a title challenge against Jose Ramirez and defeating now-hot Jose Pedraza by a clear unanimous decision last year. The 31-year-old boxer-puncher from the Los Angeles area is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Kendo Castaneda inside the MGM Grand “bubble” on July 7. He is ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO. Baranchyk, 27, also is a respected veteran. The Oklahoma-based Russian won the IBF 140-pound title by stopping Anthony Yigit in October 2018 but lost it to Josh Taylor by a unanimous decision in his first defense in May of last year, a fight in which he went down twice. He rebounded by stopping Gabriel Bracero in four rounds last October. He’s ranked No. 4 by the IBF, No. 6 by the WBC.
***
MARK MAGSAYO (20-0, 14 KOs)
VS. RIGOBERTO HERMOSILLO (11-2-1, 8 KOs)
When: Saturday, Oct. 3 Where: Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles TV: FS1 Division: Featherweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card: Paul Kroll vs. Luke Santamaria, welterweights; Angel Barrientes vs. Fernando Ibarra, featherweights; Chavez Barrientes vs. Ivan Varela, featherweights Prediction: Magsayo KO 10 Background: Featherweight contender Mark Magsayo, a skillful boxer-puncher from the Philippines, has climbed the rankings rapidly. The 25-year-old is ranked No. 4 by both the IBF and WBC and No. 13 by the WBA, which means a title shot is on the horizon if he continues to win. He’s coming off a near-shutout decision over veteran Panya Uthok in August of last year in the Philippines. Thus, he will have been out of the ring for more than a year. Hermosillo is a solid boxer with good power. The 28-year-old Mexican southpaw is coming off consecutive losses to Manny Robles III and Viktor Slavinskyi, both by decision. Hermosillo stepped up in class against then-unbeaten Robles and acquitted himself well, losing a split nod. He probably isn’t in Magsayo’s class but isn’t likely to go easily.
***
JOSHUA BUATSI (12-0, 10 KOs)
VS. MARKO CALIC (11-0, 6 KOs)
When: Sunday, Oct. 4 Where: London TV: DAZN Division: Light heavyweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card (Part I of PPV): Chantelle Cameron vs. Adriana Dos Santos Araujo, junior welterweights (for vacant WBC title); Linus Udofia vs. John Harding, Jr., middleweights Prediction: Buatsi KO 5 Background: Buatsi is a talented, hard-punching Ghanaian based in London who is ranked by all four the major sanctioning bodies (No. 3 IBF, No 3 WBA, No. 12 WBC and No. 14 WBO) even though he’s still developing. He’s coming off a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Ford in August of last year, which means he will have been out of the ring for more than a year. The native of Accra has stopped his last seven opponents, including veteran Marco Antonio Periban of Mexico. Calic is unbeaten but hasn’t faced an opponent of Buatsi’s ability. In fact, the 33-year-old Croatian has never fought in a scheduled 10-round bout. He last fought in October of last year, outpointing Serhii Zhuk.
When: Wednesday, Sept. 30 Where: York Hall, London TV: ESPN+ Division: Junior lightweight At stake: Final of Golden Contract tournament Odds: NA Also on the card (Part I of PPV): Ryan Walsh vs. Jazza Dickens, featherweights (Golden Contract); Liam Conroy vs. Serge Michel, light heavyweights (Golden Contract) Prediction: Davies KO 9 Background: McKenna has been calling out Davies for some time and will finally get his wish in a scheduled 10-round bout. Davies has won three consecutive fights since his high-profile unanimous-decision loss to Jack Catterall in October 2018, including a clear decision over veteran Miguel Vazquez. The 28-year-old Londoner last fought on Feb. 21, stopping Jeff Ofori in six rounds. Davies has only the loss to Catterall following his seventh-round knockout loss to Josh Taylor in July 2017. McKenna has won five straight since his only defeat, also at the hands of Catterall, in June 2018. The 30-year-old Irishman doesn’t have much punching power but loves to please the fans by mixing it up. He has said going into this fight that he will surprise some people with his boxing skills. McKenna is ranked No. 15 by the WBC. The winner of the Davies-McKenna fight will receive a contract with the combat sports management and promotional firm MTK Global.
***
JOSE ZEPEDA (32-2, 25 KOs)
VS. IVAN BARANCHYK (20-1, 13 KOs)
When: Saturday, Oct. 3 Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas TV: ESPN+ Division: Junior welterweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card: Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Ryan Kielczweski, lightweights; Kingsley Ibeh vs. Guido Vianello, heavyweights Prediction: Zepeda UD Background: Zepeda and Baranchyk were supposed to have met in July but Baranchyk was injured in sparring and had to pull out. The winner of this battle between the two highly ranked contenders will inch closer to a title shot. Zepeda is a proven commodity, having lost a razor-thin majority decision in a title challenge against Jose Ramirez and defeating now-hot Jose Pedraza by a clear unanimous decision last year. The 31-year-old boxer-puncher from the Los Angeles area is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Kendo Castaneda inside the MGM Grand “bubble” on July 7. He is ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO. Baranchyk, 27, also is a respected veteran. The Oklahoma-based Russian won the IBF 140-pound title by stopping Anthony Yigit in October 2018 but lost it to Josh Taylor by a unanimous decision in his first defense in May of last year, a fight in which he went down twice. He rebounded by stopping Gabriel Bracero in four rounds last October. He’s ranked No. 4 by the IBF, No. 6 by the WBC.
***
MARK MAGSAYO (20-0, 14 KOs)
VS. RIGOBERTO HERMOSILLO (11-2-1, 8 KOs)
When: Saturday, Oct. 3 Where: Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles TV: FS1 Division: Featherweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card: Paul Kroll vs. Luke Santamaria, welterweights; Angel Barrientes vs. Fernando Ibarra, featherweights; Chavez Barrientes vs. Ivan Varela, featherweights Prediction: Magsayo KO 10 Background: Featherweight contender Mark Magsayo, a skillful boxer-puncher from the Philippines, has climbed the rankings rapidly. The 25-year-old is ranked No. 4 by both the IBF and WBC and No. 13 by the WBA, which means a title shot is on the horizon if he continues to win. He’s coming off a near-shutout decision over veteran Panya Uthok in August of last year in the Philippines. Thus, he will have been out of the ring for more than a year. Hermosillo is a solid boxer with good power. The 28-year-old Mexican southpaw is coming off consecutive losses to Manny Robles III and Viktor Slavinskyi, both by decision. Hermosillo stepped up in class against then-unbeaten Robles and acquitted himself well, losing a split nod. He probably isn’t in Magsayo’s class but isn’t likely to go easily.
***
JOSHUA BUATSI (12-0, 10 KOs)
VS. MARKO CALIC (11-0, 6 KOs)
When: Sunday, Oct. 4 Where: London TV: DAZN Division: Light heavyweight At stake: Nothing Odds: NA Also on the card (Part I of PPV): Chantelle Cameron vs. Adriana Dos Santos Araujo, junior welterweights (for vacant WBC title); Linus Udofia vs. John Harding, Jr., middleweights Prediction: Buatsi KO 5 Background: Buatsi is a talented, hard-punching Ghanaian based in London who is ranked by all four the major sanctioning bodies (No. 3 IBF, No 3 WBA, No. 12 WBC and No. 14 WBO) even though he’s still developing. He’s coming off a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Ford in August of last year, which means he will have been out of the ring for more than a year. The native of Accra has stopped his last seven opponents, including veteran Marco Antonio Periban of Mexico. Calic is unbeaten but hasn’t faced an opponent of Buatsi’s ability. In fact, the 33-year-old Croatian has never fought in a scheduled 10-round bout. He last fought in October of last year, outpointing Serhii Zhuk.
