It was announced yesterday via a press release that the WBA has made a final eliminator bout for the light heavyweight title between the number-one world-ranked light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi, versus the number-two record fighter in the division, Dan Azeez.
Both fighters are promoted by Boxxer, who has stated the bout will take place on August 19th, 2023. ProBox TV News recently caught up with Buddy McGirt, Azeez's head coach, who shared some insight on this future bout.
"Dan is doing great," said Buddy McGirt with his cheerful tenure to his voice. "Matter of fact, he is supposed to be in Florida, [he was traveling to start camp at the point of this interview]."
Azeez is an undefeated British-level fighter who is looking to emerge onto the world-class boxing scene. Yet, his coach shared some insight to why the fight might have some hidden intrigue.
Buatsi recently defeated Pawel Stepien in his Boxxer debut and talked to ProBox TV News earlier this year. About his future endeavors as Buatsi recently left Matchroom Boxing to opt to sign a deal with Boxxer. Buatsi currently trains with Virgil Hunter in Hayward, California, which is quite the sacrifice for the U.K.-based fighter.
“I know them both [of them] Azeez a lot more than Yarde, but their fights that if they're presented and the numbers are right, I wouldn't say no,” said Buatsi earlier this year about potentially facing Azeez. “I'd like to think they wouldn't say no. Callum Smith is also there, Craig Richards is there, [who Buatsi recently defeated], and Lyndon Arthur.”
The winner of this fight will become the WBA mandatory for the light heavyweight world title held by Dmitry Bivol, who after winning Boxer of the Year in 2022, has failed to land a fight in 2023, yet.
