Joshua Buatsi v Craig Richards 21/5/22

[Master]

Craig Richards has admitted he wasn’t surprised that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez lost to Dmitry Bivol earlier this month as he allowed himself to get ‘frustrated’.

Canelo Alvarez and his great rival Gennady Golovkin were on a collision course to meet in a blockbuster trilogy fight in September.

But it will now most likely be a second meeting between Canelo and the unbeaten Russian after Bivol beat the Mexican superstar on May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Canelo, who had previously only lost to Floyd Mayweather prior to that, amazingly withstood Bivol’s power despite physically being the much smaller man in the ring.

But Russian Bivol was just too strong for challenger Canelo and retained his WBA light heavyweight title via unanimous points decision.

The judges scored the fight 115–113 115–113 115–113.

Yet Richards, who was outpointed by Bivol in his first title defence last May, insisted that he saw it coming.

He told BoxingScene.com: “I said the day before he [Bivol]’s got very fast feet, very fast hands and very good defence and I said if it goes to points I’d expect Bivol to get the nod.

“Though, being in Vegas and Cinco de Mayo, if it does go to points it depends if the judges give it to him.

“Because Bivol’s hands are rapid and his defence is very tight and he’s got very good feet.

“His [Canelo’s] feet weren’t quick enough, he was loading up shots, Bivol was throwing combinations and when he was trying to land and couldn’t get through the defence, he just got frustrated and to the point that he got disheartened.

“When we cross paths again, it’s not personal, I have to beat him, but first and foremost let’s just focus on May 21st.

“I neutralized him because I’ve got good feet and a good jab as well.

“So I neutralized a lot of his best assets and I think that’s why people were like, ‘Oh, he’s not that good’ and not that I took away a lot of his assets.

“Canelo is good at closing the ring down but he hasn’t got fast feet and that’s what I thought he might struggle with, the fast feet and the combination punching.”

Richards, nicknamed ‘The Spider’, returns to the ring against ‘Just Business’ Joshua Buatsi in an all-British light heavyweight bout.

The 32-year-old won the British title after defeating Shakan Pitters in December 2020 before losing to Bivol in his next fight a few months later.

Richards, 32, who has been training in Essex with friends Conor Benn and Joe Cordina, added: “My stock won’t stay there if I don’t beat Josh on May 21st, so I’ve got to make sure next week I get the job done to make sure my stock rises even more.

“I know I can swim in the deep waters, but I’m never overconfident in boxing.

“Boxing is the sort of situation where you’ve got to learn all the time.

“I’m doing that and I’m a student of the game and I think that’s why I get better, I’m never complacent.

“Sometimes my trainer says to me I just need to relax because I’m a perfectionist and I want to get things right all the time but I think that’s what brings me on all the time. I’m never overconfident.

“I always know I’ve got things to learn and I think that’s why I’m always going to progress until the day I hang my gloves up.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...d5d3032157b542

[Master]

Joshua Buatsi says he is "ready for a world-title shot", but the light-heavyweight must first overcome Craig Richards in London on Saturday.

Buatsi, who won Olympic bronze in 2016, faces former world-title challenger Richards in one of the biggest British dust-ups of the year at the O2 Arena.

"It's my most important fight to date," unbeaten Buatsi, 29, says.

"Why? Because it's the next one and every fight I want to keep on progressing and winning."

In a division packed with talent, Dmitry Bivol - who beat Richards on points last year - holds the WBA title, while WBC and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev will face WBO champion Joe Smith Jr next month.

"It's just a matter of being ready. I've made it clear to these guys I'm ready," Buatsi adds.

Richards, meanwhile, harbours his own world-title ambitions. "I'm not here to spoil the party, I'm here to fulfil my own dreams and keep moving forward in my career," the 32-year-old says.

After a stellar amateur career, Buatsi signed with Matchroom Boxing in 2017.

Injuries and the pandemic resulted in relative inactivity, as he fought just once in 2020 and twice last year, but the Ghana-born Londoner is content with where he is at in his career.

"When I look at the crop of the 2016 Olympic light-heavyweights, I've got the highest rankings," he says.

'Personal responsibility is important' - Buatsi sets out 2022 to-do list

"I want to sit here and say I've got a world title next to me but I'm also in the position where I'm getting closer to that.

"I'm here undefeated: good position, good ranking and improving fighter. I'll take that."

Richards says his own boxing journey, without the fanfare and hype of that given to the Olympian, has meant he has had to "earn it the hard way" - and he is relishing the underdog status.

"Buatsi had a good career as an amateur, he won a lot and medalled in the Olympics," he says.

"Of course when they do that, they're tipped for big things, so the promoters invest in them and map them out good and get the rewards for them.

"It's probably the fifth time the bookies have me as an underdog. I just have to shut them up again; let my friends and family win a lot of money."

Richards proved his world-level credentials in May 2021 during a close points loss to Bivol - a feat which became more impressive following the Russian's win over pound-for-pound star Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez earlier this month.

"When I boxed him in a close fight, they said that it's not that Craig must be good, but that Bivol must not be good as we thought it was," Richards says.

"But once Bivol beat the pound-for-pound king Canelo, they're like, well, Craig must be good then."

Buatsi, however, says he is "not reading too much" into that performance.

"It's different styles and different opponents," he says. "I'm not one to sit here and start singing praises because he went the distance with Bivol."

With Beterbiev and Smith Jr contesting a unification bout and Bivol potentially re-matching against Alvarez next, the winner of Richards-Buatsi may have to wait a little longer for a world-title shot.

There are plenty of options domestically, though, with Callum Johnson, Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde all ranked highly with the governing bodies.

Buatsi is aiming to to prove his worth as the best in Britain, in addition to tackling global domination.

"All the other guys would put themselves as number one but the only way we would ever know is if we were to fight each other or if somebody got a world title and then singled themselves out," he says.

A fight with fellow Londoner Yarde has been mooted over the past few years, and Buatsi is hoping that happens sooner rather than later.

"We shouldn't be like 40 and saying we should have fought each other when we had the chance," he says. "It would be a missed opportunity. Hopefully we can make it happen."

Richards says he has already proven his worth against top-level British light-heavyweights, however, referencing his stoppage victories over Jake Ball and Shakan Pitters.

"I've had the domestic fights - it's not new to me," he says. "I was the only one mixing it up when nobody else was. I'm at world level now and have to prove it."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/61464228

[Master]

Buatsi starts fast in the first round but Richard had his moments.

1 nil Buatsi

[Master]

Buatsi started fast again in the 2nd round but Richards fires back to keep him honest. Close round which could go to Spider.

1-1

[Master]

Very high quality boxing from both but Buatsi landed the better eye catching punches in the 3rd.

2-1 Buatsi

[Master]

Brilliant 4th round from both as they went for one another at the end. Buatsi landing some good body work.

3-1

[Master]

Buatsi hurt Richards at the start of the 5th round but backed off as he did not want to blow himself out. Still won the round.

4-1 Buatsi