Joshua Buatsi will be looking to make a statement in Manchester when he goes head-to-head with unbeaten Frenchman Daniel Dos Santos.
The former Olympian has made a blistering start to his professional career, racking up 13 wins from 13 fights, and he will be welcoming new trainer Virgil Hunter into his corner for the first time tonight.
Hunter, who once guided the great Andre Ward, is one of the most highly-respected coaches in the game and Buatsi will be keen to show off what he’s learned from him so far. Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s boxing action...
Where?
AO Arena, Manchester
What?
10 rounds at light-heavyweight with Buatsi’s WBA International title on the line.
When?
The card takes place on Saturday, 15 May, and the show is scheduled to begin at 7pm UK time, with the main event’s ring walks expected at approximately 10pm. Although this will of course depend on how long the undercard runs for.
How To Watch?
UK fight fans can watch the fight live on Sky Sports, whilst outside of the UK, the bout and undercard will be streamed on subscription service DAZN.
What They Say:
Buatsi: "As always, I look to go in there, and I look to handle business. I don’t really go too much into reading about opponents and their previous fights, because how they boxed someone else is not how they’re going to box me. I’ll be there listening to the instructions that Virgil is going to give me. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to showing people what I’ve been learning out here.
"Ultimately, I’m fighting to win. However it looks, my primary goal is to always win. We’ll be stepping up. Whoever they put in front of me, I’ll look to get rid of them and to keep building and learning. I’ve got older heads around me to guide what I’m doing. You have to consider what they’ve got to say because they’ve been there and done it. “
Form:
Buatsi will be looking to continue his impressive knockout streak in Manchester on Saturday night, having won his last eight fights within the distance. The 28-year-old was last in action in October, stopping Marco Calic by TKO in the seventh round.
Dos Santos is also unbeaten, having fought 15 times as a professional, although the bulk of his CV is padded with wins over opponents with losing records. The Frenchman’s last fight was in April - a knockout win against Ivan Nikolov, a boxer with a 3-9-2 record.
Undercard:
Gamal Yafai vs. Jason Cunningham, European Bantamweight title
Dalton Smith vs. Lee Appleyard, vacant English Super-lightweight title
Tommy McCarthy vs. Alexandru Jur, European Cruiserweight title
Lerrone Richards vs. Giovanni De Carolis, vacant European Super-middleweight title
Anything else? Highly-rated heavyweight Solomon Dacres makes his professional debut, while Ellis Hopkins will make history when she becomes the first female from the traveller community to turn professional.
Buatsi: 1/200
Via Points: 13/2
Via KO, TKO or disqualification: 1/14
Dos Santos: 20/1
Via Points: 50/1
Via KO, TKO or disqualification: 33/1
