It’s winner stays on in the light-heavyweight division as Joshua Buatsi and Craig Richards prepared to serve up yet another pulsating domestic cracker at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night. The winner of the Croydon versus Crystal Palace showdown will secure a shot at WBA champion Dmitry Bivol’s title later in the year as we begin to gain further clarity on one of boxing’s most captivating and intriguing divisions.
Buatsi believes he has earned his stripes the hard way after years of graft in the amateur scene before eventually winning bronze for Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
On the flip side, Richards has worked his way up via the small-hall shows, taking every opportunity that has fallen his way.
Spider’s stock has risen considerably in recent weeks following Bivol’s Las Vegas masterclass against pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez two weeks ago.
Richards went the distance with the Russian in a competitive fight last year and now he is looking to secure his shot at a potential rematch.
Meanwhile, Buatsi is keen to put months of frustration in his rear-view mirror after he was forced to withdraw from his December showdown with Maxim Vlasov through injury.
The 29-year-old, who is 15-0, boasts a record of 10 successive stoppages and he would make quite the statement if he was to inflict similar punishment on Richards.
The duo headline another stacked Matchroom card at the O2 which also features the brilliant Chantelle Cameron and Croatian wrecking ball Alen Babic.
He has scored a knockout in all 10 of his professional bouts to date as he bids to make waves in boxing’s new bridgerweight division.
Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather is also in action as he takes on Don Moor at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi in an exhibition match.
The bout was initially scheduled for May 14 on top of the Burj Al Arab helipad before it was waved off due to the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
However, the lucrative clash will now take place in Abu Dhabi as Mayweather looks to put on a boxing clinic.
Express Sport provides you with all the important details ahead of Saturday night’s action.
Schedules
O2 Arena, London
Joshua Buatsi vs Craig RichardsChantelle Cameron vs Victoria Moelia Bustos – WBC and IBF world super-lightweight titles
Alen Babic vs Adam Balski
Ellie Scotney vs Maria Cecilia Roman
Robbie Davies Jr vs Javier Molina
Cheavon Clarke vs Pawel Martyniuk
Cyrus Pattinson vs Dimitri Trenei
John Hedges vs Robert Balturu
Shiloh Defreitas vs Iliyan Markov
Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Floyd Mayweather vs Don Moor
Anderson Silva vs Bruno Machado
Delfine Persoon vs Maiva Hamadouche
Badou Jack vs Hany Atiyo
TV Channel and Fight Times
Buatsi versus Richards will be shown live on DAZN, which you can watch via laptops, smartphones and game consoles.
If you are not a DAZN subscriber, you can sign up for £7.99 a month.
The main card is due to get underway from around 7pm with Buatsi and Richards set to walk to the ring around 10pm.
In the Middle East, Mayweather’s exhibition will be shown live on streaming site Frontrow at the cost of £16 with the main event set to get underway from 9pm.