Joshua Buatsi has dismissed Anthony Yarde's knockout threats ahead of his fight with Dan Azeez; Yarde says he wants to take on the winner of the south London bout, which is live on Sky Sports on Saturday, October 21
Tuesday 3 October 2023 17:08, UK
Joshua Buatsi insists he does not care about Anthony Yarde yet and has dismissed a knockout threat from his British rival.
The 30-year old is fighting south London friend-come-opponent Dan Azeez on Saturday, October 21, live on Sky Sports, with Yarde saying he wants to fight the winner, who he believes will be Buatsi.
Yarde had told Sky Sports News he was targeting a knockout victory against the Olympic bronze medallist.
"He's been saying that for years", said Buatsi, speaking ahead of the eliminator fight for the WBA world light-heavyweight title.
"Please write everything I'm saying here, but specifically put this in bold - I don't care about Yarde now.
"Right now, it's Dan Azeez."
Buatsi has long been linked with a fight against his fellow light-heavyweight, with the two men seemingly on a collision course ever since Buatsi turned professional after winning Olympic bronze at Rio de Janeiro at 2016.
"I feel like it's around that time now. It's brewed, all the seasoning's been put in the pot," Yarde told Sky Sports.
"I definitely see myself winning that fight, just from what I've seen of him already. I feel like anybody in the world, even the world champions, on my night I'd beat any of them."
While he has dismissed Yarde to focus on Azeez, Buatsi has not ruled out the clash that Yarde has been calling for, but refrred to Yarde's knockout claims as "rubbish".
"Is he a potential opponent? Of course - if someone is light-heavyweight, they're a potential opponent", said Buatsi.
"But he boxed some random geezer the other day, and now he's back on his high horse - come on man!
"I said it before - he talks rubbish man, and that's all I can say about it.
"But if that fight happens, let's see - I'm down with it.
"If that's what he's saying, cool."
Speaking on the fight with his friend and sparring partner in Buatsi, Azeez said he believes it was a fight that was always going to happen as he seeks to fight and destroy all of his contemporaries.
"By the time my career is done, I want to have fought all my peers", said Azeez.
"Josh is one of them, so regardless of when it happens, I would have liked it to happen in the future anyway."
When asked about whether he would fight Yarde, Azeez said his "CV says it".
"I'll fight anyone but at the moment I don't give a toss about Yarde.
"Again, he's a peer, so I'm open to fighting him."
Watch Joshua Buatsi take on Dan Azeez at the O2 Arena live on Sky Sports on Saturday, October 21.
