Joshua Buatsi v Marko Calic - Sky Sports - 4/10/20

Buatsis been out of the ring about a year,
The nutter Babic is on this card too.

This is on Sunday straight after Tottenham v Man Utd.

Full card here

https://www.matchroomboxing.com/events/buatsi-vs-calic/

Joshua Buatsi says there is no chance of him underestimating former Croatian amateur standout and current undefeated professional Marko Calic ahead of their ten round clash for the WBA International Light-Heavyweight crown this Sunday October 4, shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Buatsi (12-0, 10 KOs) hasn’t fought since he became the first man to stop Canada’s Ryan Ford on the Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Luke Campbell show at The O2 in London last August, and the Anthony Joshua-backed talent will be looking to make up for lost time following over a year out of the ring.

Standing in his way of huge fights with the likes on London rival Anthony Yarde and Matchroom stable mate Callum Johnson is Calic, the 6′ 3″ former Heavyweight amateur who is promising to seize his golden opportunity on the big stage, with no intention of serving as a mere stepping stone for rising star Buatsi.

“Marko Calic is a solid opponent who will be coming to win,” said Buatsi. “He’s very experienced in the amateur scene and was around on the circuit years before me. He boxed in the 91kg category as an amateur, I always fought at 81kg. He’s represented his country in a lot of tournaments, Europeans, World Championships and the World Series of Boxing.

“This is a well-established amateur. As a pro he is undefeated with a record of 11-0. That’s all I need to know about him. He had loads of WSB fights so he knows what he is doing. He knows how to handle himself. It’s my job to go in there and to come out on top, which I’m very confident of doing. I’m doing everything that I can to make sure that I remain unbeaten on October 4th.

“He’ll be game and he’ll try it but that’s what I’m expecting, so I’ll be there too. If the opportunity for a knockout comes, as always, I’ll take it. The aim is to go out there and box, get some rounds in. I wouldn’t shy away from saying if I hurt someone within the first couple of rounds, I’m there to close the show. The overall aim is to win. That’s where my mind set is at. On October 4th that’s what I’m getting in there to do.”

Buatsi vs. Calic tops a big night of action that sees Chantelle Cameron (12-0, 7 KOs) land a World Title shot in her very first bout as a Matchroom fighter as she takes on Brazil’s Adriana Dos Santos Araujo (6-0, 1 KO) for the vacant WBC Super-Lightweight crown, ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic (4-0, 4 KOs) returns to the UK looking to impress again as he locks horns with Irishman Niall Kennedy (13-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight round Heavyweight contest, Luton’s Linus Udofia (15-0, 7 KOs) puts his English Middleweight Title on the line for the first time against Dillian Whyte-backed Brixton man John Harding Jr (8-1-1, 2 KOs), Aqib Fiaz (5-0) and Kane Baker (13-6) look to settle the score after their Fight Camp disappointment and recent Matchroom signing John Hedges makes his pro debut at Super-Middleweight against Jan Ardon (2-4)

https://www.ringtv.com/610697-joshua...andle-himself/

So Eddie Hearn has caught Covid and won't be present at the presser or fight.
Everyone else has reportedly tested negative so the card goes ahead.


Buatsi vs Calic: Undercard

Joshua Buatsi v Marko Calic, WBA International Light Heavyweight Title

Chantelle Cameron v Adriana dos Santos Araujo, vacant WBC World Female Super Lightweight Title

Linus Udofia v John Harding, BBBofC English Middleweight Title

Alen Babic v Niall Kennedy

Aqib Fiaz v Kane Baker

John Hedges v Julio Cesar

GENTLEMAN Meet John Hedges, Eddie Hearn’s 18-year-old, 6ft 5in super middleweight southpaw prodigy making his pro boxing debut this weekend

Joshua Buatsi and Marko Calic will headline a Matchroom Boxing card this Sunday, but the event will also see the debut of an exciting 18-year-old.

It’s not often a fighter turns pro so early, but John Hedges has all the tools that had Eddie Hearn rushing to secure him.

“I did have a very good amateur career,” Hedges told talkSPORT. “I had 44 fights with 40 wins. Seven national titles – including a GB title – along with four international titles.

“I’ve travelled around the world, many training camps abroad, many fights abroad fighting many different styles. So I think that’s one thing I have in my bag of tricks. I have boxed a lot of different styles, I haven’t just got used to an English style of opponent.

“I had a good experience for my age and I’m ready to take it into the pros. I understand I’m young, but it’s about my mindset.”

Hedges is a 6ft 5in southpaw and is still making super-middleweight. It’s often been said that 6ft 3in Callum Smith would struggle to make 168lbs, but the WBA super middleweight champion continues to defy the odds.

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/767824/

There might be no fans in attendance, but Joshua Buatsi will not be lacking inspiration when he steps into the ring for Sunday's bout with Croatia's Marko Calic in Milton Keynes.

From Bruce Lee to Black Lives Matter, Christianity to cycling, Buatsi — undefeated in 12 contests as a professional, and an Olympic bronze medal winner in 2016 — is a boxer of depth. Promoted by Eddie Hearn, who is quarantined this weekend due to a positive Covid-19 test, and managed by world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Buatsi will need to be sharp against undefeated Calic (record 11-0) as his climb towards world light-heavyweight title glory in 2021 begins again.

Lockdown was quiet, contemplative, and Buatsi's religious gatherings were on zoom. He trained alone, read a lot, and says he became "one of those angry cyclists" on the road. The experience surprised him, so he read more of Bruce Lee.

“I can’t sum up what lockdown was like for me in a word. But within a sentence, it was a time when it was very important to know yourself. Bruce Lee said: 'Know yourself to know others'. You have to know what’s good for you mentally and what isn’t. If you can identify what makes you happy and what you feel you need to function, then find it. Keep good people around you. That helped me a lot.”

Buatsi is also aware of his social responsibilities through the Black Lives Matters movement. “I think about it [BLM] all the time," he explained, adding that he will take a knee in support and respect of the movement. "Fighting is fighting. But not everything in life is straightforward.

"Someone said to me: ‘All lives matter’. And they’re right, they do. But currently there needs to be an emphasis on black lives. I wake up every day and nothing happens to me and I think this is a simple easy life.

"But I think about other people, just and unjust situations. Imagine going to a protest today, thinking you’ll be home by midnight and then not returning for the next four months. You’re in prison, waiting. We’re saying all lives matter but we need to put emphasis on black lives. I look at myself and other black people and they’re going through it. We have to raise more awareness.”

Has he experienced racism in the fight world? “As a professional I haven’t experienced it. As an amateur, I did in another country. But I see the most innocent souls go to a boxing match and when it’s someone they know, they lose themselves.

"If you have an attachment to whoever is fighting you want them to win. You end up screaming all sorts of things. But on a deeper level I think boxing brings people together, all races, religions - in a good way.”

We turn to the 14-month hiatus from the ring. "This has been a long lay-off. But it’s only in my head. I accepted what the situation is. I’ve just dealt with it and moved forward. I just look at the positives. If you dwell on the negatives you’re going to get down. I’m fit and strong and my health is 100 so what can I really complain about? Nothing.

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Xz...e3d59e4d1de1bb

“It’s where boxing has helped me a lot. This industry is a lifestyle. Boxing is a lifestyle. Training, running, sparring - it’s all a lifestyle. It’s my life. The weather was great and I would cycle for hours. I went to places I’d never even driven to. Cycling isn’t something I ever used to - and I was even an angry cyclist once or twice..."

But tonight it is back to business. "I’m indifferent to no crowds. Calic is a very good amateur. Experienced. Boxed a lot of people. He’ll be well educated. Once I’m in there I will feel the danger, and look for the win. If I sense any vulnerability anywhere then ill take it. I think most important is to get out and fight. It's been a while and I want to impress. "

Joshua Buatsi vs Marko Calic is live on Sky Sports on Sunday from 7pm

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/jos...131129915.html

How raw and wild is Babic? The new Rocky?

Buatsi has a solid jab and good right hand to the body to win the 1st round against Calic. Calic has a dangerous right hand that landed against Buatsi.

Bad round for Buatsi in the 2nd round. Getting caught with fought hands by Calic.

1 all

Buatsi is in big trouble his eye is damaged and swollen in the 3rd round by the right hands from Calic. Upset on the cards?

2-1 Calic

Buatsi back in control in the 4th with aggressive combinations that put Calic on the back foot.

2 all

Buatsi hurts Calic at the end of the 5th round to win the round. Tough fight for Buatsi.

3-2 Buatsi

Hard 6th round from both fighters but Buatsi aggression takes it.

4-2 Buatsi

Buatsi stops Calic in the 7th round. That was his toughest test of his career against the unbeaten Calic.

Decent fight, good experience for Buatsi. No idea how the eye damage happened. It looked to have come off of a sustained period of Buatsi pressure, then all of a sudden he's got a bashed in face. Calic did well to target it after that.

Calic was feeling the weight of Buatsi's punches whenever he put a bit of stink on them which ultimately ended the fight, broken jaw or orbital bone maybe?

From the buzz on social media this was a life and death struggle. It wasn't really though was it.

Not a "life and death" match for Buatsi but good experience for him and showed us how he can handle a bit of adversity.

Buatsi got hit with a right hand in the first round which marked his face. The bruise on the eye came in the 3rd round after taking another right hand and it visibly hurt Buatsi. First time I have seen him lose consecutive rounds. Calic jumped on him when he saw him hurt.

Buatsi needs to work on his head movement and footwork, he was far too static at times. A world class champion would have hurt him and stopped him. He is a bit away from that level yet but can bridge that gap with more of these tough tests like these matchups.

I'm not as convinced as i was that Buatsi beats Yarde now, seems easy to hit and has poor head movement.
Could be ring rust after 400 days out the ring.
Hopefully we'll see that fight next year but it's tough to call.

Joshua Buatsi rides early storm to secure stoppage victory against Marko Calic in seventh round

Britain's rising light-heavyweight star Joshua Buatsi had to weather a difficult early storm in the opening rounds against fellow unbeaten light heavyweight Marko Calic in Milton Keynes, but the Londoner ruthlessly stopped his foe in the seventh round as he made his comeback behind closed doors after a year out of the ring.

There was a sombre walkout from Buatsi as he took a knee during his entrance in support for the Black Lives Matter movement. And once into the fray he had to battle through the opening three rounds, with Calic landing powerful shots, shipping punishment with his nose bloodied.

Buatsi, though, showed his mettle as the fight wore on. The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, unbeaten in 12 fights as a professional before this contest, rallied and began an assault on his rival at the end of the fifth round, punishing his opponent with a series of right hands.

https://talksport.com/wp-content/upl...60&quality=100

Calic came back in the sixth, with Buatsi's left eye puffy and closing, but in the seventh the Briton piled pressure back on the taller fighter, flooring him, with referee Michael Alexander giving Calic a standing count.

Buatsi leaped on Calic from that point, with the referee stopping the fight as the towel came in from the Croatian's corner.

"He pushed me all the way, so credit to him," said Buatsi, who finished in ruthless fashion as the towel came. "It was a long time out, but I'm glad to be back and earn another victory."

Earlier, unbeaten Chantelle Cameron was crowned the new WBC super-lightweight champion after a dominant points victory over Adriana Araujo, who was also unbeaten. The 29 year-old became Britain's newest world champion as she controlled her experienced Brazilian opponent with ease to earn a unanimous decision with three shutout scores of 100-90.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/jos...222304663.html