sport news Joshua Buatsi on walking away from mentor Anthony Joshua after signing with ... trends now
Joshua Buatsi has claimed he made his decision to leave Matchroom and DAZN for rival promoter BOXXER 'on his own' - after leaving his mentor Anthony Joshua behind for a new chapter.
The 30-year-old light-heavyweight fighter started his career with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing stable and had close ties to former heavyweight champion Joshua - having been signed to his management company 258.
That deal saw Joshua play an integral role as a promoter for his fights on Matchroom but now Buatsi is looking to start fresh - with his fights now set to be aired on Sky Sports.
He's already explained he's looking to reach as many fans as possible and felt DAZN didn't get as many viewers - but this decision was mainly a way for the undefeated star to carve out a new path for himself, with his first fight slated for May 6 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.
'I see Sky and BOXXER winning bids for fights that I'm involved in,' he told Sportsmail when asked why he made the jump to a new promoter.
Joshua Buatsi has spoken about his decision to branch out on his own after leaving Matchroom for new promoter BOXXER
He has left behind his old mentor Anthony Joshua - who had signed the light-heavyweight to his company 258 Management - and is looking for a fresh new chapter
'What is the biggest platform out there? It's Sky Sports. You can see why I would want to be here. Where else would I want to be?
'Every fighter has to make a move with their own judgment. I've looked at where I am and thought "at this moment in time, what the best move for me?". And that's what I've done.'
When asked if he had spoken to Joshua about his decision to leave Matchroom and DAZN - Buatsi, who is no longer signed to 258, said: 'It's a decision that I made on my own. Of course I have some people that I speak to and I weigh up on my options, but I had to set out and do what's best for me.'
After winning a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic games, Matchroom were quick to snap up Buatsi and led him to 16 straight victories - but the fighter said it was the right time to move on after they failed to meet his demands in negotiations.
'There were terms and things I wanted to be matched. They weren't able to be matched and it was time for me to move on.
The 30-year-old said Matchroom and chief Eddie Hearn (R) could not match his demands
'The requirements that I had can't be matched. I entered the stage where I felt I needed to move on. I had needs that weren't able to be matched. I had to make a decision that was good
