British light heavyweight (up to 79.4 kg) Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13 KOs) gave
interview for local media.
In a conversation, the fighter spoke about the victory in the WBA eliminator over the former challenger from Britain, Craig Richards (17-3-1, 10 KOs). Joshua also answered a question about the opinion of his American coach Virgil Hunter and expressed a desire to meet with WBA “super champion” Russian Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs), with whom Buatsi promoter Eddie Hearn from Matchroom also cooperates.
– I congratulate you on your victory. First of all, what do you do after the fight?
– I sleep a lot. That’s for sure. But it’s all good. I remember the fight, draw conclusions. Everything is great. Of course, I’m happy to wake up a winner the next day.
– Tell us about the fight from the first to the last round from your point of view. How would you rate your performance?
“I definitely won. I had a very good start in the first half. I bet a lot on the early rounds. In the second half, the rounds became more competitive. There were his rounds and mine, but I took a lot in the early segments. He had his moments, but I think, if you look at the whole, I had more moments than he did. And yes, it was a spectacular fight, good to watch.
– Your coach was asked at a press conference how he would rate you compared to his past fighters. He said that you are probably his second best fighter after the one and only Andre Ward. What does this mean for you?
“It’s all because of my selflessness. I trained in the States from January to May. Arrived in England 2 weeks before the fight. I was not at home, I was away from my family, away from people with whom I feel comfortable. It’s worth a lot. It’s nice to hear that. I did not talk about it, but showed him in practice, I left the house for a long time. I could have gone home after I got the fight, but I stayed in the States. I said, “I’m staying and will be out of my comfort zone.” He appreciated it.
How Buatsi and Richards determined the challenger for Bivol: video of the best moments of the fight
– Do you think in your head that you are ready to fight for the world title in the next fight? I spoke to Eddie Hearn and he said your most likely route would be to Bivol. Are you ready for this?
– Yes. I’ve been talking about this for a long time. I talked to Eddie before I flew to the States, outlined the fights that I want to him. I said I’m ready. Of course, Eddie will try to make this fight. And it is very important what my coach says, because he sees me every day in the gym. He sees what I do, sees what is needed. He will see how many more skills are needed, or he will see that the right time has come. But if you ask me as a fighter, then I will definitely say: “Yes.”
– Virgil was asked if he would be happy with your fight with Bivol, and he hinted that another fight might be needed for better readiness. Do you understand what it leads to?
– As I understand it, he wanted to say that it is better to go into such a fight prepared, win the title and continue to defend it, than win and then lose. It makes sense. I will discuss these decisions with the team. I will say: “Here are the options. Tell me what is better to do next.”
Hearn already has an opponent for Bivol at the end of the year
