Joshua Buatsi vs Craig Richards Preview May 21st, 2022
Light heavyweight prospects Craig Richards of England and unbeaten Joshua Buatsi of Ghana will meet in a 12-round showdown in Greenwich, England this Saturday, May 21st. The bout can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Richards last fought in October when he stopped Merek Matyja in the sixth round for the vacant WBA International Light Heavyweight Title. Buatsi, who also fights out of London, England, last fought in August when he stopped Ricard Bolotniks in the 11th round.
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Buatsi vs Richards Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Craig Richards +375
- Joshua Buatsi -550
My Pick
The 32-year-old Richards climbs into the ring with a mark of 17-2-1 with 10 Ko’s. He’s boxed 111 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 and possesses average power with a current knockout ratio of 50 per cent. He had a pretty good amateur career and stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 73-inch reach. He performed well in a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Dmitry Bivol last May in a shot at his WBA Super World Light Heavyweight Belt.
His first pro loss came at the hands of Frank Buglioni by 12-round unanimous decision for the British light Heavyweight Title in 2017. Richards’ lone draw was an eight-round affair with Chad Sugden in 2019. He won the British Southern Area Super Middleweight Crown in 2017 with a 10-round decision win over Alan Higgins and captured the vacant WBA Continental light Heavyweight Title by stopping Jake Ball in the third round in 2019.
Richards took a huge step up in class against Bivol even though he may not have deserved a title shot but showed he was competitive enough to be a legitimate contender. He possesses average power and a solid chin but can be a handful for any light heavyweight if he’s at his best on fight night. He should be motivated for Saturday’s tilt since it’s a big domestic clash.
The 29-year-old Buatsi enters the fight with a perfect record of 15-0 with 13 Ko’s and obviously has pretty good power in his punches with a current knockout mark of 86.7 per cent. He’s boxed just 65 rounds as a pro since making his debut in 2017. He had a fine amateur career as he won a gold medal at the 2014 and 2015 English ABA National Championships and a bronze at the 2015 European Amateur Boxing Championships.
He also won the 2015 Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the 2016 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament. He then went on to capture a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since turning pro he’s won the WBA International and BBBoC British Light Heavyweight Titles.
Buatsi measures 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 74.5-inch reach which gives him an inch height advantage over Richards as well as 1.5-inches in reach. He hasn’t faced any legitimate contenders as of yet as his biggest wins have been over Renold Quinlon, Liam Conroy, Marco Antonio Periban, Ryan Ford, Marko Calic and Ricards Bolotniks.
Prediction…
Richards should have gained some valuable experience in his fight against Dmitry Bivol and he should put up a good fight against Buatsi. It should be a close contest but Buatsi has the edge in power and it could be the difference. This is a fine matchup and it’s one Buatsi needs to win if he has any hopes of becoming a world champion some day.
Buatsi’s power could be the difference.
Play: Buatsi -550 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Craig Richards betting • Joshua Buatsi betting