AFTER a strenuous week in the friendship between Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez both men appeared to be back on amicable terms after battling one another last night at The OVO Arena, Wembley.
Their British light-heavyweight title bout which doubled up as a final eliminator for a shot at Dmitry Bivol’s WBA belt was engrossing from fight week to fight night. After 12 rounds Buatsi was rightly awarded a unanimous decision keeping his unbeaten record, 18-0 (13), intact and moving him one step closer to facing elite competition.
Buatsi vs. Azeez kicked off what potentially could be one of the most important years in the history of the 175lbs division. And prior to last night’s all-British affair, this was how the Boxing News light-heavyweight top 10 (in association with the Transnational Boxing Rankings) looked:
CHAMPION: Artur Beterbiev
1: Dmitry Bivol
2: Joshua Buatsi
3: Anthony Yarde
4: Dan Azeez
5: Michael Eifert
6: Ali Izmailov
7: Malik Zinad
8: Oleksandr Gvozdyk
9: Albert Ramirez
10: Callum Smith
So, what might the rest of 2024 look like for the division? Boxing News has taken out its dusty crystal ball and gazed into the future.
While the focus of attention was on Buatsi and Azeez last night news emerged from Saudi Arabia that after June 1 one man will hold all four belts.
As announced by deal-maker Turki Alalshikh the date will see Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight one another in Riyadh with Matchroom and Queensberry putting five of their best fighters against one another on the undercard. Once again, the financial clout of the Middle East has snagged yet another marquee fight.
The Beterbiev-Bivol winner will have mandatories to fulfil which brings Buatsi into play. However, there is another potential outcome which could see one or all the belts become vacant. Beterbiev has talked of moving to cruiserweight in the future and should he triumph, that is a possibility. Bivol on the other hand could reign for a lengthy period if he wins but will he want to handle mandatory challengers or looked at financial interests instead which brings forward the super-middleweight division and a rematch with Canelo Alvarez or a showdown with David Benavidez.
Buatsi would not shy away from fighting either of the top two at 175lbs but if the WBA belt did become vacant who would he face? At time of writing the top five contenders with the sanctioning body are Buatsi (mandatory), Azeez, Albert Ramirez, Anthony Yarde and Richard Rivera.
Yarde and Beterbiev produced a light-heavyweight classic at Wembley Arena on January 28, 2023 (James Chance/Getty Images)
Yarde returns on February 10 against 34-year-old Marko Nikolic. The Serbian will be Yarde’s first opponent since the talented Londoner gave Beterbiev arguably the toughest fight of his career in January 2023. If as expected Yarde wins and wins big against Nikolic, then the Buatsi-Yarde chatter will intensify.
Both will need a dance partner if they fought again this summer, but if they chose not to then they may practice patience and hope to slug it out against one another for the WBA belt later in the year or early 2025 should it become vacant.
The heavy-handed Albert Ramirez may have something to say about that particularly if he takes the number two slot in the WBA rankings from Azeez. The Venezuelan (ranked 9 with Boxing News) is unbeaten in 18 contests with 15 finished inside the distance. Step-aside money is a regular negotiating term in the business of boxing and the 31-year-old former Olympian may accept such a deal with the promise he would face the winner.
Dan Azeez, the now former European and British light-heavyweight champion, has proven himself not only to be a capable operator but a ray of light in British boxing. His story from Southern Area level and small hall shows to headlining in a high-profile fight on Sky Sports is proof that the traditional route still works. ‘Super’ Dan will return and may find himself in another big domestic clash in 2024. Craig Richards or Lyndon Arthur would fit the bill.
Moving down the rest of the Boxing News top 10 at 175lbs we have Michael Eifert, Ali Izmailov Malik Zinad, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Callum Smith.
Eifert, 12-1 (4), outpointed a well past his prime Jean Pascal in Canada 11 months ago. The German is now the IBF mandatory challenger for Beterbiev’s belt but will have to shake off ring rust before contemplating a step up in class. The 26-year-old was in the UK towards the end of last year training at Ben Davison’s Performance Centre but is without a fight date in 2024 so far.
Dmitry Bivol catches Lyndon Arthur during their fight in Riyadh. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Libyan-born Malik Zinad, 21-0 (16), made his face known to Britain’s Lyndon Arthur in Riyadh in December. Arthur, who lost that night 120-107 on all three cards against Bivol as part of the Day of Reckoning was confronted by Zinad who told the Mancunian he would knock him out if they fought. Just like Eifert there has been a lack of ring-time in Zinad’s career. Two fights and two wins since 2021 against Esequiel Osvaldo Maderna and Mickael Diallo could explain his pursuit of Arthur.
The sole defeat on Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s record, 20-1 (16) came against Artur Beterbiev in October 2019. “The Nail” was hammered to the canvas by Beterbiev three times in the 10th round before the Russian finished him off in the same session with seconds remaining. Afterwards it emerged Gvozdyk was ahead on two of the three scorecards.
Gvozdyk, a 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, retired without fuss from the sport in June 2020. But in February 2023 he returned beating Josue Obando over six rounds before testing his mettle against Ricards Bolotniks three months later. The sixth-round stoppage suggested there is plenty life left in the 36-year-old’s career and has made it clear he wants a shot at Beterbiev or Bivol. His most recent action came with a predicted early KO of Isaac Rodrigues on September 30. By the end of 2024 it would be no surprise to see Gvozdyk near the top of the pile.
Rounding off the top 10 is Callum Smith, 29-2 (21). The former world belt holder at 168lbs had been keen to win more hardware at 175lbs giving him the accolade of two-weight success on his résumé. Unfortunately, inactivity had been a thorn in his side before facing Beterbiev in their rearranged bout last month in Canada.
Smith faced Gilberto Castillo Rivera and Mathieu Bauderlique, respectively, in September 2021 and August 2022. Two fights he was heavily fancied to win, and “Mundo” duly obliged with spectacular knockouts in the second and fourth rounds.
Against Beterbiev he jumped several levels in opposition and faced a man looking to make a statement. The champion was magnificent for the seven rounds that the fight lasted. Since then, Smith has been linked to a fight against Anthony Yarde which on its own is a main event but could even be used as the chief support to Beterbiev-Bivol in June.