Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez Preview February 3rd, 2024
Two unbeaten light heavyweight prospects will be going at it in London this Saturday, February, 3rd as Joshua Buatsi of Ghana takes on hometown hero Dan Azeez. The 12-round showdown at the O2 Arena is being billed as a WBA Eliminator and can be seen live in the UK on Sky Sports Arena while fans in America can catch it on NBC’s Peacock network. Buatsi, who also fights out of London, last fought in May when he beat Pawel Stepien via a 10-round unanimous decision. Azeez last saw action in July when he beat Khalid Graidia on points over eight rounds.
NOTE: This fight was originally scheduled for last October.
Buatsi vs Azeez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Dan Azeez +260
- Joshua Buatsi -350
My Pick
The 30-year-old Buatsi enters the fight with a perfect record of 17-0 with 13 Ko’s and obviously has pretty good power in his punches with a current knockout mark of 76.5 per cent but has gone the distance in his last two fights. He’s boxed just 87 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. He hasn’t faced any legitimate world-class contenders as of yet as his biggest wins have been over Craig Richards, Renold Quinlon, Liam Conroy, Marco Antonio Periban, Ryan Ford, Marko Calic and Ricards Bolotniks. He needs to just keep on beating whoever is put in front of him though if he hopes to land a shot at a world title.
Azeez is now 34 years old and carries around a perfect mark of 20-0 with 13 Ko’s. He turned pro back in 2018 and has boxed 129 rounds since. As an amateur he was crowned the national amateur (ABA) South of England champion three times and won the 2013 Box Cup tournament in London. He measures 5-feet-10 inches tall with an unlisted reach, so gives up four inches in height to Buatsi. As far as power is concerned, he currently possesses a 65 per cent knockout ratio and has stopped five of his last seven opponents.
Since turning pro Azeez has also won the vacant British Southern Area Light-Heavyweight Title. He won the English Belt in 2019 via a 10-round unanimous decision over Lawrence Osueke and defended it twice and then captured the vacant British Title in November, 2021 with a seventh-round TKO over Hosea Burton and has defended it once against Shakan Pitters. Azeez then met Rocky Fielding in December, 2022 and defended his belt while also winning the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight Belt. He then added the vacant European Title this March when he halted Thomas Faure in the 12th round. He’s also beaten Reece Cartwright, Ricky Summers, Andre Sterling and Charles Adamu.
Prediction…
Buatsi has a big edge in height and on paper he’s also got the edge in power, but he’s looked pretty lethargic in his last couple of outings. Perhaps facing Azeez in a big domestic clash will motivate him, especially if it’s an eliminator. He better hope so, because Azeez should give him all he can handle and his power can’t be taken lightly. I’m expecting a good, close fight here with the younger Buatsi getting back to form and utilizing his jab and power to come out with a win.
Buatsi’s power could be the difference.
Play: Buatsi -350 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Dan Azeez betting • Joshua Buatsi betting