sport news Joshua Buatsi admits his 'reputation is on the line' ahead of Craig Richards ... trends now
Joshua Buatsi will have no doubts about what's at stake when he steps out at the 02 Arena on Saturday night, and it's more than just a world title shot.
The light-heavyweight star has breezed through most of his career - he is currently enjoying a streak of 15 straight wins and ten knockouts in a row - and his showdown with fellow Brit Craig Richards is arguably his biggest test of his career. As the 29-year-old says himself, this is a 'reputation fight'.
Championship belts are up for grabs in the not-so-distant future should he get past this latest obstacle - though for Buatsi all his focus is on catching the man known as 'Spider' in what he is calling a 'derby', with both men hailing from south London.
Joshua Buatsi admits his 'reputation is on the line' as he prepares to face Craig Richards
Buatsi comes into the fight as the favourite after an unbeaten career with 15 straight victories
Putting in the hard yards during a gruelling camp in Arizona under the watchful eye of legendary American trainer Virgil Hunter, Buatsi has made it clear to his camp that he cannot afford to take this fight lightly.
'My reputation is on the line,' he told Sportsmail. 'I won't be silly and say it's not much of a fight because it is. It's important. You can call it a reputation fight.
'The moment this fight was announced I told my team "I've got to take this seriously. We've got to take this camp to another level".
'It's a big London fight. I have to put everything into it. A few people have said this is the Battle of South London. Whether it's Richards or anyone else, it seems like a derby. If two London teams are playing each other, it's gonna be a great match. It adds a bit of spice to it.
Buatsi is putting all his focus on beating Richards despite the possibility of world title fights
The winner of this fight will be the mandatory for Dmitri Bivol or Canelo Alvarez - who are set to rematch after the Mexican was beaten on points - but Buatsi 'couldn't care less' for now
'It's gonna be exciting and competitive. It's good we've both taken up the challenge and the public are in for a good fight. We could have waited and taken different routes but this is what it's going to come down to.
'My plan is to take it one round at a time. In camp, I'm always trying to improve. I feel like a much-polished version of myself.'
While knowing a victory at the 02 Arena could open doors for Buatsi, with championship belts potentially in the offing, he is determined to block out the noise and focus on catching a Spider.
'It's been mentioned [world title shots] and it's something that's there, but the fight on May 21st is what's primary,' he told Sportsmail. 'It's hard to talk about what's coming after, because that's not in my head at all. May 21st is the most important thing before we sit down and talk about the future.'
Buatsi has been putting in the hard yards in training and refuses to think about the future
Canelo was one high-profile name that was touted as a possible opponent for Buatsi this year - before his comprehensive defeat by Dmitri Bivol.
The winner of Buatsi and Richards will become mandatory to Bivol at 175lbs, but the Russian is set to take on the Mexican in a rematch, so Buatsi or Richards - who lost on points to Bivol last year - will have to look elsewhere for now.
Buatsi, though, is unmoved by talk about world titles for now, and said he 'couldn't care less' about Bivol or Canelo.
'I made a pledge to myself not to get into these talks at all about who's next,' he added. 'If it's Spider let's talk about Spider. Anyone else, I couldn't care less right now. I've been waking up every day in camp with one person on my mind, and it hasn't been Canelo and it hasn't been any of the light-heavys in England. It's Spider
