In a thrilling light heavyweight showdown at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, undefeated contender Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs) met with Pawel Stepien (18-1-1, 12 KOs).
As a result, the 2016 Olympian Buatsi demonstrated his boxing skills throughout the fight, delivering powerful combinations and flurries against a cautious Stepien. The judges’ scores, 98-92, 97-94, and 100-90, reflected Buatsi’s dominance in the ring. Returning from a year-long hiatus since his fight against Craig Richards in May 2022, Buatsi's calculated approach could be attributed to his need for ring practice and the desire to keep his offense under wraps.
Buatsi, highly ranked by WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF, now aims to challenge light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. He also recently turned down a fight against WBA 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol, but shared his desire for a knockout victory against Stepien, stating, “Of course, I wanted to knock him out. The people came to see. There were lights, camera, action.” However, for Buatsi to succeed against Beterbiev, he must adapt his fighting style displayed in the Stepien bout, to evade Beterbiev’s punishing punches.
In the undercard bouts, 2020 Olympian Ben Whittaker (3-0, 2 KOs) emerged victorious over Jordan “The Game” Grant (6-3, 1 KO) in a light heavyweight contest. Whittaker secured a third-round stoppage after knocking Grant down in the second round, and Grant’s corner subsequently threw in the towel. Referee Chris Deaan called a halt to the contest at 0:13 in round three. Also, Lauren Price (4-0, 1 KO) outclassed Kirstie Bavington (7-4-2, 2 KOs) in a ten-round unanimous decision to capture the British women’s championship title. The judges unanimously scored the bout 100-90 in favor of Price, highlighting her dominance in the contest.
Image Credit: Boxxer