London, England - (August 2, 2023) - A decade-long friendship will be put to one side on Saturday, October 21st when top light-heavyweights Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KO’s) and ‘Super’ Dan Azeez (19-0, 13 KO’s) meet in storied London arena The O2 in an unbeaten all-domestic clash.
Airing live and exclusively on Sky Sports, the BOXXER: BUATSI VS AZEEZ - PATHS COLLIDE main event sees two friends turn rivals for a mouth-watering all-business clash between two top fighters in their prime and ready to lay it all in the line.
Although both fighters started their journey in the same South London amateur boxing club, two very different paths have set them on a collision course next month.
Buatsi turned professional bathed in the glow of a bronze medal won for Team GB at the 2016 Olympics, while Azeez - having chosen to focus on first completing his finance degree - eventually entered the professional ranks at the bottom of small-hall cards.
Azeez’s hard road to the top has made him a record-setter: he is the only light-heavyweight in British boxing history to have won every British Boxing Board of Control domestic title in the hierarchy, from area title through to national, British and Commonwealth.
Buatsi - himself a former British light-heavyweight championship holder - returned to the ring earlier this year to dominate the previously undefeated Pawel Stepien, while Azeez went on the road to defeat French champion Thomas Fauré in Paris for the European Light-Heavyweight Championship.
Also confirmed for the October 21st card today is a British cruiserweight championship clash as Mikael Lawal defends his title against Isaac Chamberlain. The rivalry between the two Londoners has simmered for some time but ignited at a press conference earlier this year and looks set to be settled in explosive fashion when they finally meet in the ring.
“This is a huge fight for British boxing and it has ‘Fight of the Year’ potential. Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez are standouts in a very deep division and they are two of the most talented and hungry fighters I’ve ever seen,” said Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO.
“Buatsi’s right to compete at this level has never been questioned but Azeez has had to fight every step of the way here and you have to give credit to Buatsi for taking a risk like this. It’s been an incredible journey and with both of them now potentially just one win away from challenging for the world title in a huge-money fight, I think we’re going to see something special in The 02 on October 21st. These are the fights British boxing fans want to see.”
“We've been friends for years but there's too much on the line here for either of us to say no to this fight. We can be friends again afterwards but on October 21st it's all business. I'm preparing to beat the best version of Dan Azeez and I’m doing everything I need to do to achieve that, whether that’s by decision or knockout,” said Buatsi.
Azeez said, "I’ve earned my way to get to this stage of my career and there’s still more to earn and prove. This fight is another step closer to the top and it means a lot to me so I’m preparing like I always do for everything and anything in order to be victorious come October 21st.”
