Joshua Buatsi cut a serious figure during Thursday’s final press conference in Manchester ahead of his first in-ring return as a defeated fighter.
On Saturday night at the nearby Co-op Live Arena, live on DAZN, the 32-year-old light heavyweight will attempt to springboard back into the wider boxing public’s consciousness in a must-win fight with fellow domestic 175-pounder Zach Parker (26-1, 18 KOs).
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Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs) donned his traditional pre-fight shaggy beard, unkempt hair and a pink baseball cap riding high on the crown of his head. He has spent years trying to get his initialed moniker “Just Business” to stick, and this weekend offers him the perfect opportunity to do so.
“It’s a fight I know I must win,” he explained to the assembled media, and it’s impossible to disagree with the Croydon fighter, even if it resembles the hyperbolic line that hundreds, if not thousands of pugilists have repeated over the years.
Over the course of the press conference Buatsi spoke less than 100 words — most were repetitious. He looked annoyed, pent-up and impatient by the process he was asked to follow.
In 2017, if you were to ask a then-24-year-old Buatsi — fresh from winning bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games — to paint a picture of his pro career in the year 2025, it’s hard to imagine him guiding brushstrokes to a domestic WBO International title fight like Saturday’s. Such were the vast expectations of Buatsi coming out of the amateur scene.
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But here he stands, 20 fights into his pro career and attempting to rebound from a war with Callum Smith in February — a fight in which Buatsi may, in the future, look back on and be grateful of what he was able to withstand from the victorious Liverpudlian.
With Buatsi, perspective matters. In truth, he may have proved more in his unanimous decision defeat to Smith than in all of his previous victories combined.
We knew a lot about him — his skill set, sharp fundamentals, measured and spiteful aggression. What we didn’t know, at least not conclusively, was whether he could stand firm when a world-class operator forced him into deep waters.
In Riyadh, under the gaze of the division’s two kings (Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev), Buatsi showed layers of toughness and composure that can’t be coached; traits forged in character, not in camp.
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That mindset separates genuine contenders from merely talented fighters. Buatsi didn’t just survive; he adapted, refused to wilt, and kept pressing through adversity. His stock rose sharply in defeat — the kind of loss that quietly redefines a fighter’s ceiling.
But just try telling Buatsi that. Does he take any comfort from such a gusty, impressive loss?
“Absolutely none,” he told the assembled media a few weeks out from Saturday night. “There’s nothing that anyone can say that would make me think any differently. You go on Boxrec — it says I lost, right? So I am just interested in the result and that’s what hurts.”
Joshua Buatsi vs. Zach Parker headlines this weekend’s boxing lineup.
(Action Images via Reuters / Reuters)
Now, Buatsi has the chance to start again in his push to the top of the light heavyweight mountain.
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He’s making his debut under the Queensberry Promotions banner having previously fought for BOXXER and Matchroom, and with five highly-rated 175-pound domestic rivals sharing the bill, the opportunity to shine lies in the palm of his hands.
His opponent, Parker, is a hungry, ambitious, tough light heavyweight who will be viewing Buatsi as his lottery ticket to a different, brighter future. Having spent the majority of his career as a super middleweight, Parker moved up to 175 pounds after a 2022 loss to John Ryder — a fight that saw him break his right hand.
Four wins above that limit and the Derbyshire fighter’s time has come for a crack at one of the division’s flag-bearers in the United Kingdom.
Bradley Rea vs. Lyndon Arthur and Liam Cameron vs. Troy Jones complete the set of highly-rated 175-pound scraps in Manchester, all of whom are attempting to put forward an argument for themselves to be Queensberry’s man to back at the weight. But in truth, this weekend’s onus falls on Buatsi to make a statement.
A win in style and Buatsi 2.0 can look to 2026 with fresh eyes, taking his seat back at the top table of light heavyweights that, at the moment, feels just out of reach.
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