sport news Joshua Buatsi vows to beat Craig Richards by any means necessary; Spider wants ... trends now
Joshua Buatsi and Dmitry Bivol both vowed to emerge victorious in their eagerly-anticipated south London grudge match as they briefly exhibited their skills at Wednesday's media workout.
The London duo will go toe-to-toe in an enticing WBA light-heavyweight title-eliminator at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, with both fighters out to escape the domestic scene and make an impression at world level.
Unbeaten knockout artist Buatsi (15-0), who has been on a slow and steady climb towards the elite after claiming Olympic bronze in 2016, comes into the fight as the favourite in what is his first genuine acid test as a professional.
Joshua Buatsi (left) and Craig Richards (right) go head-to-head at the O2 Arena on Saturday
The south London rivals briefly exhibited their skills at Wednesday afternoon's media workout
Buatsi was taken beyond seven rounds for the first time as a professional in his most recent outing against Ricards Bolotniks last year, in what proved to be his toughest test to date, eventually scoring an 11th-round stoppage victory.
The hard-hitting 29-year-old on Wednesday acknowledged 'Spider' resembles an entirely different prospect, however, though insisting the pressure - both of headlining the O2 and rewards that will come with victory - won't get to him.
'I took a lot from it,' Buatsi told Matchroom Boxing of his victory over Bolotniks. 'Spider's a different type of opponent. A different opponent, a different test but I'm ready.'
'There's always pressure, but the pressure I put on myself, my expectations, that's pressure,' he continued. 'This isn't pressure.
'Everyone has expectations: there's the fans, the crowd, the public, their opinions, but are you going to drown yourself in that? I can't swim so I won't find myself in that.'
