Dan Azeez v Joshua Buatsi

Dan Azeez says his fight with Joshua Buatsi could decide who is the UK's number one light-heavyweight.

Buatsi and Azeez fight in a final eliminator for Dmitry Bivol's WBA world title on 21 October in London.

The British scene is blessed with a host of excellent light-heavyweights, including Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde and Lyndon Arthur.

"This will decide who's number one in south London, who's the best in the UK," Azeez told 5 Live Boxing.

Fans have been calling for Buatsi to fight Azeez for some time; both grew up nearby, and both are undefeated as professionals.

Azeez, 33, is the English, Commonwealth and European champion, but none of those titles will be on the line.

"Our pride is on the line, so that's more than enough," Azeez said.

Azeez and Buatsi have been friends for years, but Buatsi says their "friendship is on pause" as they prepare to face each other.

Buatsi, 30, says he only accepted this fight because it would guarantee his shot at a world title.

"It's no secret, we're good friends," he said.

"Pride's a good belt. It's also a good thing to have sometimes in boxing. Got to know when to earn it, when to offer it.

"There's no title but the title really on the line is the final eliminator. That's the only reason I said I would fight someone like Dan Azeez."

With Azeez v Buatsi landing at London's O2 Arena, promotional outfit Boxxer is hopeful the domestic fight can generate big ticket sales.

It will be the first time either fighter has headlined at a venue of that size, with an available capacity of 20,000.

Buatsi has fought on huge undercards, including at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and Madison Square Garden, but for 33-year-old Azeez it will be only his second appearance at the O2.

While Buatsi was signed by Matchroom off the back of his bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics, Azeez has slowly worked his way up from the small hall circuit, winning 20 fights and every domestic title along the way as well as the European light-heavyweight belt in March.

Buatsi thinks dealing with the pressure of the occasion may play a factor in the result.

"We know each other, very well, so it's going to be interesting to see who can do what they need to do when the lights are bright," he said.

"When the lights are hot, when you've got smaller gloves on. When there is a crowd. Because of course when we spar, there's not a crowd.

"But this time there'll be a massive crowd, there will be a lot at stake."

Azeez, who like Buatsi has 13 knockouts on his record, is confident the magnitude of the event will not faze him.

"The hard work is getting there," he said.

"I've had to do it the hard way and I'm here now. In a sense, I've already won.

"That pressure, do you know what I mean? I remember all these other guys coming up and talking about all these other domestic fighters and I'm just grafting away thinking: When is it going to me? When am I going to get in the mix?

"To be here now. Any pressure, that just drives me, man. It gives me that extra bit."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/66515432

Isaac Chamberlain admits he might need to win a cruiserweight world title to lure Chris Billam-Smith into a "massive" rematch.

The Brixton fighter challenges Lawal for the British belt on the undercard of Joshua Buatsi's big domestic showdown with Dan Azeez at The O2 on October 21, live on Sky Sports.

Chamberlain is fully focused on Lawal for now but his long-term ambition is a second fight against Billam-Smith, the WBO cruiserweight champion, even if he needs to win his own world title to secure that.

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In July of last year, Chamberlain lost an exciting 12-rounder to Billam-Smith on points, but took confidence from watching the Bournemouth man floor Lawrence Okolie three times while winning the WBO belt with a unanimous decision in May.

"It was an amazing performance from Chris and now I think a lot of people want to see me and Chris fight again," Chamberlain told Sky Sports.

"You seen the way shots that were putting Lawrence down were bouncing off me.

"That fight will be on the horizon soon.

"Hopefully I can win a world title and then make a massive unification fight [against Chris Billam-Smith]."

Chamberlain and Lawal were initially set to face off in May on the undercard of Lawrence Okolie vs Chris Billam-Smith, but the champion was forced to withdraw due to a medical issue.

"It was frustrating but I'm the type of person that deals with things as they come," he said.

"I think it's not what happens but how you react to it.

"All I can do is remain the professional I am, keep training and know the opportunity will come.

"I think it's even better now. I'm getting paid more money. It's going to be on a bigger show and it's in London as well."

Chamberlain has a tough assignment against Lawal, who is undefeated in 17 professional bouts with 11 stoppage wins, but the 29-year-old expects to prove his class with an emphatic victory.

"I'm focused on Lawal - he's a very dangerous fighter with power in both hands," admitted Chamberlain.

"He is no walkover - I have to take this very seriously, I have to be on point, sharp and take my time, waiting for the right opportunities.

"I'm going to knock him out.

"You're British champion, you're going to have to start fighting top opposition - unfortunately that starts with me."

Watch Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain on Saturday October 21, live on Sky Sports.

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Dan Azeez believes his experience fighting and winning as the underdog will give him the edge over friend and sparring partner Joshua Buatsi in their world title eliminator fight.

The south Londoners are set to face off in a blockbuster light-heavyweight bout at the O2 on Saturday October 21, live on Sky Sports, with neither fighter having a professional loss on their record.

Azeez, though, believes that he has the edge over Buatsi as they face off in a "genuine 50/50 fight", having beaten fighters that were "probably technically better".

When asked whether he fears losing his unbeaten record, Azeez explained "there's other ways that you lose in life".

"In training, there's so many ways you lose, so you just learn from losses to get better.

"I don't care about getting an L on my record otherwise I wouldn't have taken the fight.

"It could go either way, so it's about putting everything together and doing everything necessary to get the victory.

"It's not my first 50/50 I've been in - there have been many fights where on paper they've been 50/50 and it's not the first time that I've been in there with someone that's probably technically better than me - I've always found a way to win.

"I don't think he's been in that situation where he's ever been the underdog - every fight he's been a favourite, so I'm used to being in this situation and still coming out on top."
On whether his experience of having gone into fights as an underdog gives him the edge in his over Buatsi, the 34-year-old said, "yes - it always does".

"It gives you that drive.

"When people don't believe you can do something, it's not so much about proving them wrong but I want to prove that I'm right.

"You know what it's like being in uncomfortable situations.

"I can see it going the distance - all the outcomes, I wouldn't be surprised with - but the main outcome I'm focused on is me being the winner."

Watch Joshua Buatsi take on Dan Azeez at the O2 Arena live on Sky Sports on Saturday, October 21.

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I am really looking forward to this fight this weekend. After the top world class contest between Wood v Warrington this is another quality bout that boxing fans should be excited about.

Buatsi is technically brilliant and has the talent to be a champion. He has been showcased for years as the next big thing, but his career stalled however it seems he is back on track for the big contests.

Azeez has grown on me especially since he is a fan of Marvin Hagler. He wears Marvelous trunk colours and fights like him. He is the underdog in this matchup, but I will be rooting for him this Saturday night. This fight will be compelling until the end and is a great domestic battle. The winner should face Yarde that would be even bigger.

Shame that Catterall v Linares is on at the same day. These promoters should stop letting their ego get in the way of boxing events like these.

British boxing promotion, BOXXER, has reached a media rights partnership with NBC, giving American audiences the chance to see fight cards that air exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

For starters: First- and second-ranked light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez will square off from London's O2 Arena on Saturday.

'You look back at Prince Naseem, Amir Khan - and Tyson Fury in recent history - and how well they've done in the US, that was always in the back of my mind: I want US audiences to be able to see these kids, to see our stable and see these guys from [a young age],' BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom told Mail Sport.

'And NBC is the perfect platform because in a similar way to Sky, their rights portfolio is massive - one of our main goals is to make boxing as mainstream and inclusive and as easy to access as possible and when you consider [they have] the Premier League, the WWE, the Olympics, for boxing… you couldn't get a better partner.'

Initially, BOXXER's fights on NBC platforms will be based in the UK, but Shalom hopes to broaden his promotion's reach.

Ultimately, he told Mail Sport, he'd like to do the kinds of events that will attract major audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
'But obviously the goal of both businesses is to be able to develop that and look at opportunities and over time - once we develop our partnership - to bring shows to the US and possibly one day have the first trans-Atlantic pay-per-views across platforms,' he said. 'That's the vision, that's the goal.'

As many American fight fans already know, the timing couldn't be better.

Following HBO's retreat from the sport, and Showtime's plans to follow, there are hardly any media platforms offering much air time to boxing in the US these days.

'Particularly when you see the US in a state of flux - with boxing potentially coming off platforms [Showtime], it's brilliant to have a big broadcaster now taking boxing back on,' Shalom told Mail Sport.

'I view it as a market of such untapped potential. Boxing is one of those sports that's always going through peaks and troughs but it's a sport without language barriers, it's a sport that everyone understands and when it's big, it's very big. It is in a state of flux at the moment, the US market… but we've had the best schedule we've seen in years from PBC and Top Rank are brilliant too. There's so much room for growth… the key is getting boxing in front of mainstream audiences.'

Shalom believes he has the right talents to attract American viewers, including 26-year-old light heavyweight Ben Whittaker, 21-year-old junior welterweight Adam Azim, and 22-year-old Super bantamweight Caroline Dubois – all Brits.

In Dubois' case, Shalom is hopeful that the Londoner can follow in the footsteps of American boxing sensation Claressa Shields.

'I think she's the type of personality and star - especially at 22 years old - where she'll really benefit from it,' Shalom said.

Azim, meanwhile, is positioned well to succeed in the US because of all of the American talent around 140 pounds.

'What a division he's in, with the big American stars over there, it's good to get his name out there,' Shalom said of the 4-0 Olympic silver medalist. 'There's huge names and huge fights for him down the line, with the Americans in particular so it's great to be able to get him (there) early on in his career.'

To Shalom, the key is to get Azim exposure now, when he's still young: 'For a long time, British fighters got their US exposure towards the tail end of their careers.'

Most importantly, by bringing his bouts to the US, Shalom hopes to see the sport rise in popularity, internationally.

'It's the biggest market in the world,' Shalom said of the US, 'and it needs to be doing well for boxing to be doing well.'

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Unified world champion Artur Beterbiev could be open to a future fight against the winner of Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez, says Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

If the Canada-based champion extends his explosive unbeaten record, featuring 19 knockouts in 19 wins, then Beterbiev could offer a world title shot to the Buatsi-Azeez winner.

"Since Artur made such a big splash in the UK against Yarde, we would not be opposed to him returning one day in the future," Arum, who promotes Beterbiev, told Sky Sports.

Azeez has already traded numerous punches with Beterbiev after being brought in for explosive sparring sessions.

'Beterbiev's power keeps you jittery!'

"The overhands and the bodywork, those little things, there are small little things that Beterbiev does. I don't think a lot of people give him credit for his actual boxing IQ because obviously he's knocked out everyone," Azeez told Sky Sports earlier this year.

"He's got a very intelligent mind in there.

"In sparring as well you'd throw a shot at him and you'd miss by an inch, he's got very good footwork," Azeez added. "He might come across like he's flat-footed but he's actually got good footwork and he knows how to move around the ring.

"It's that punching power, it keeps you jittery and makes you expend more energy than you want to because you know if I'm in too close, I could get tagged. If I make a mistake, I could get tagged. So you're thinking a lot more than you want to, so it's hard.

"As you see when you watch him, when he throws his shots, it doesn't look like he puts too much into it. It's deceiving but there's power behind it."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...c03ecff&ei=224

The all-British fight between light-heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez has been postponed after Azeez suffered a back injury in training.

Buatsi, 30, and Azeez, 33, were set to fight in a final eliminator at London's O2 Arena on Saturday for the right to meet WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol.

"I'm devastated for this to happen on fight week," said Azeez, who is ranked second with the WBA with Buatsi first.

Details of the fight being rescheduled are yet to be announced.

"It still hasn't sunk in," said Azeez. "I've never had to withdraw from a fight in my career before.

"I want to apologise to all the fans, especially those travelling to the fight.

"I am also extremely sorry to my opponent Joshua Buatsi, to my promoter and to everyone involved who has worked so hard on this date. I hope this fight can be rescheduled as soon as possible."

The undefeated Londoners, who are friends outside the ring, started out at the same amateur boxing club in south London.Fans have been calling for the pair to fight for some time.

Azeez - the English, Commonwealth and European champion - has 20 straight wins under his belt as a pro, while 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Buatsi has won all 17 of his pro fights.

The bout would have been the first time either boxer had fought in a venue as large as the O2 and promotional outfit Boxxer said more than 10,000 fans were set to attend the event.

Boxxer founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: "This is a big shock. I know that Dan [Azeez] would do anything to be in the ring on Saturday night and for this to happen at this stage is devastating.

"This is a huge fight for British boxing, but the health and safety of our fighters must come first. My heart goes out to Dan and Joshua, who have both completed tough camps, and to the fans."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/67137578

Jorge Linares v jack Catterall on now.

Entertaining first round from both. Their front leg is getting tangled as they try to get in position.

Linares still has it, technically perfect and giving Jack a lot to think about.

Linares wobbled and hurt in the ⁵th round.

Linares comes back to win the next round.

Jack taking over and putting some hurt on Linares now in round 8.

Catterall wins UD

Commentators have Chamberlain winning against Lawal with 2 rounds remaining.

Chamberlain wins UD he is in tears. Nice win.

rescheduled
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DAN Azeez is a British undefeated light-heavyweight boxer.

He's fighting Joshua Buatsi on February 3, 2024 in a postponed eliminator for the WBA world title — here we take a look at his life, career and net worth.

Light-heavyweight ace Dan Azeez is one of the UK’s most in-form fighters and is currently undefeated as a professional.

It is an incredible turnaround for the former removals man and accountant — he has a masters degree in finance — who was knocked out within 30 seconds of his debut amateur bout.

In the 2013 fight — undertaken while he was a student at Colchester University — he shared the Harlow stage with Lawrence Okolie, who was also making his bow.

Azeez danced into the ring full of bravado and was knocked spark out inside a minute.

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At the Royal Resistance gym in Kidbrooke, he revealed: “I swear, I walked across the ring and I was knocked out, chinned clean.

“I only got into boxing by watching the likes of Roy Jones Jr and David Haye and they had that flashy style built on reflexes and speed.

“I don’t know what I was thinking but I was dancing around in the changing room before, the most confident I have ever been for any fight — pro or amateur.

Dan's nickname used to be 'Disease' — which he was not a fan of — but he now goes by 'Super Dan'.

Azeez laughed to SunSport: “I used to cry about that nickname [Disease], I will never forget it. A substitute teacher called me it once and she really laughed.

“I remember sitting there thinking ‘you’re in on the act too? I really don’t stand a chance’.

“Thankfully the name vanished after secondary school because I hated it, it really hurt me.

“It was made so much worse because it was a supply teacher who I really fancied as well so all the other kids burst out laughing as well.

“I knew then my chances with her were shot — not that they were ever that strong when I am eight years old in her Maths class.

“I wonder if she watches me now and remembers I was hot for her?”

Azeez is the first 12st 7lbs fighter from Britain to secure every domestic title, including Southern Area, English, British and Commonwealth titles.

He is also the current holder of the European light-heavyweight belt.

Azeez was born and raised in Lewisham, south London on August 30, 1989.

At the time of writing, he is 34 years old.

Dan is five-foot-ten (178cm) and has a reach of 70.1 inches (178cm).

Dan's record stands at 20-0-0.

This means he has won all 20 of his professional bouts, with no losses or draws.

He has won 13 of his fights via knockout, giving him a knockout ratio of 65%.

Speaking about his upcoming fight with longtime friend and sparring partner Joshua Buatsi — which had to be postponed due to Dan picking up a strain in his back — Azeez has voiced his objections over the aspersions cast on him by Buatsi, in relation to the injury being fabricated.

He told Sky Sports: "I didn't really like the narrative but it is what it is. What can you do?

"Even sometimes just the stuff Josh even says: 'You know, I don't know, I'm not sure'.

"Why am I going to make up an injury?

"It's either you don't believe it or you do. I thought you would at least know my character a bit better than that."

CelebsAgeWiki is the only outlet with an estimate of his wealth.

The online publication has quite a wide range for its prediction, calculating that Azeez's net worth is somewhere between $1million USD (£786,000) and £5million USD (£3.9million).

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/25519...ord-net-worth/

Andre Ward says he sees "great things" in Joshua Buatsi after watching him in the gym ahead his fight with Dan Azeez.

Buatsi, the No 1 ranked light-heavyweight contender with the WBA, has been coached by Ward's former trainer Virgil Hunter since 2021.

Buatsi has been training with Hunter in the USA ahead of Saturday's showdown with London rival Dan Azeez on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

Hunter oversaw Ward's faultless career as the former Olympic gold medallist recorded 32 professional wins, 16 of them by knockout, and won world championships at super-middle and light-heavyweight before retiring unbeaten.

Buatsi has fought four times, taking his unbeaten run to 17 (13 of them inside the distance) under the guidance of Hunter, placing himself on the verge of challenging for a world title.
Having watched Buatsi at work in the gym, Ward can see the influence of his former trainer and is optimistic about the Croydon man's development.

"I think he's got a strong upside and I appreciate the way he approaches the game. He doesn't cut corners," Ward said of Buatsi.

"He's a great listener. There's not a lot of fighters today at all different ages that actually have great work ethics and live like fighters. But he's that guy. So I just appreciate that about him. When you are that type of person, you put yourself in position to have success," Ward told the Toe2Toe podcast.

"So he's got to continue to win. He's obviously got to continue to sharpen up his style and become more fluid in his approach but I've seen a lot of growth in him.

"I've seen a lot of great things in sparring when I went to check him out and I'm just excited for his fight that's coming up."

'Buatsi vs Azeez can't be a bad fight!'
WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billiam-Smith sparred with Buatsi before and after Hunter's appointment to his team, and endorsed the trainer's influence on the 30-year-old.

"He definitely improved [with Hunter], he added more to his game," Billam Smith told Sky Sports.

"His inside work had improved, and carries the same power and sharpness as he always has. So Dan Azeez is an intriguing fight. Dan is constant, breaks you down and sometimes Josh looks flat on fight night, doesn't look his best.

"Maybe he needs the bigger fights. Against Craig Richards he performed pretty well, against [Ricards] Bolotniks he performed pretty well," he added.

"The likes of Dan Azeez is a make or break fight in terms of mentally if you can't get up for that fight then you're not going to get up for any fight. And if you can't perform in that fight then you're not made out for the big stage.

"I think he will perform on fight night and it'll make for a fantastic fight. They're both super tough, I've sparred them both, hit them flush, so tough.

"They're only light-heavyweights, I've got a lot of weight on them and I've hit them flush and they've got superb chins. Can both punch, good work rate. It couldn't be a bad fight."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...d82357f&ei=130

Dubois sister wins. Ben Whitaker on next.

The Surgeon wearing a skeleton costume and gloves gets a knockdown in the second round with a left hook to the body.

i'd like to see ben v khalil coe

Whitaker playing with Gracia at the moment. Some fans may not like it but it is skillful.

ben channeling a poor man's emanuel augustus there. ref doesn't like it, gives him a talking to

ben ends things in the fifth. needs to fight better opposition from here

5th round stoppage by Ben Whitaker. He is a showman.

announced
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A very close first round both going for it but not being careless.

gave the first to dan

Azeez lands some eye catching shots to win the second round. Another close round.

1-1

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Originally Posted by TIC

gave the first to dan

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How can you watch both fights property?

close rounds. gave the second to dan

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by TIC

gave the first to dan

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How can you watch both fights property?

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i don't know about properly but i have two screens, i just do my best

nice third round. gave it to dan

Good third round both letting their hands go but Azeez lands the better punches.

2-1 Azeez

Another close fourth round but just gave it to Buatsi.

2-2

gave joshua the fourth