Joshua Buatsi vs. Craig Richards result: Buatsi extends unbeaten record
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LONDON — Joshua Buatsi kept his unbeaten record intact and moved a step closer to a world title shot by beating Craig Richards via unanimous decision on Saturday night at The O2 Arena.
With south London pride and light heavyweight world-title ambition on the line in the showpiece event, it was Croydon’s Buatsi (16-0) who got the better of Crystal Palace fighter Richards (17-3-1) with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
Buatsi, who in the build-up declared Richards his “most important fight to date,” will be now be champing at the bit for promoter Eddie Hearn to secure him another mammoth fight in a 175-pound division packed with talent.
Dmitry Bivol — who handed Richards one of his other two career defeats, also on points — holds the WBA title. WBC and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev will takes on WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. next month.
“When you are there, you believe in yourself. This guy (Richards) lives next door to me. He gave me 12 hard rounds. Maximum respect to him,” said Buatsi.
“We want the world title. We’ve made it very clear. We are ready.”
When it’s all said and done…
Respect 🤝#BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/phvsWey4XY
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 21, 2022
Buatsi, who won Olympic bronze in 2016, was taken beyond seven rounds for the first time in his most recent outing against Ricards Bolotniks last year. He needed to draw on that experience to take down “Spider.”
It was far from a walk in the park for Buatsi, who from the outset looked to be going for a knockout victory, something he had achieved against 13 of his previous opponents.
Buatsi was hesitant in the opening stages but blitzed his opponent at the end of the first round and continued that explosive power into the second.
As Buatsi landed some ferocious punches to the body in the fifth and sixth, Richards responded with power of his own through jabs and uppercuts, seemingly playing the waiting game for his opponent to tire.
But Richards held firm with his jab throughout and certainly had Buatsi worried on occasions, most notably in the eighth as Buatsi was caught off guard with a sweet uppercut and needed to literally throw his opponent into the ropes to avoid getting knocked down.
Buatsi recovered in the ninth and had Richards hurt but the 32-year-old weathered the storm.
Richards needed a knockout going into the last three rounds, but he ran out of steam, despite a valiant effort in the 11th, while both fighters let their hands go in the final round before moving to the judges’ scorecards.
“I did [think I’d won]. I thought I had done enough,” said Richards. “I finished strong but credit to Joshua. A hell of a fighter. I should say thank God for this occasion, thanks to Josh, a good dance partner. We’ve known each other a long time, win, lose or draw, great respect for him.”
“Just Business” may have to wait a while for his next title shot with Beterbiev and Smith Jr. in a unification bout as well as a potential Bivol-Alvarez rematch.
But he has a plethora of choices in the light heavyweight division with Callum Johnson, Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde all hungry for belts.
WATCH: Boxing action live on DAZN
Joshua Buatsi vs Craig Richards live fight updates
11:45 p.m. (6:45 p.m. ET): BUATSI WINS IT
Buatsi does enough to keep his unbeaten record intact. He moves to 16-0 with a unanimous decision victory over Richards. The judges’ scorecards read 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
To the scorecards we go…#BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/1cJxgyMFju
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 21, 2022
Round 12: They’re beginning to tire. Is there a final knockout punch awaiting one of them? They both land right hooks but bounce back with several body shots. They’re matching each other punch for punch. Into the final 30 seconds and it’s a slugfest. The bell goes and they touch gloves.
Round 11: Both fighters land some big punches but Richards isn’t happy with Buatsi holding him and the referee has a word. Buatsi does well to get out of a tight space as Richards launches an attack. Richards lands a right hook before Buatsi delivers three quick body shots. Into the final round we go.
Round 10: Buatsi attempts a couple of body shots but the referee tells him to raise his punches as they’re close to below the belt. Buatsi is going for the body shots then moves upstairs. swinging both arms to force his opponent into the ropes. In the process it’s Buatsi’s gum shield that comes out. Richards stands tall though and finishes the round stronger,
Round 9: Buatsi needed that quick breather and he’s back looking comfortable in the opening minute. A neat one-two from Richards knocks Buatsi’s head back. Another warning sign for Buatsi with the Croydon fighter then resorting back to his one-big punch tactics in the final seconds of the round but proving unsuccessful.
Round 8: As Richards leans close he’s caught with a big right hook. Richards responds with a sharp left hook of his own before a tussle in the corner. Buatsi is caught off guard and Richards unleashes on him as Buatsi virtually throws him into the ropes to stop the flurry of punches coming his way. The crowd loved that and Buatsi suddenly looked in trouble.
This one is heating up 🔥#BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/6CuGKk40DT
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 21, 2022
Round 7: Richards is lucky a big left hook from Buatsi doesn’t land fully. Little of note follows until the final minute when Richards unleashes a big right that Buatsi absorbs. A disappointing round for both fighters.
Round 6: Buatsi puts all his weight behind a big right swing that connects well. He continues to be dominant with his jab this round before Richards lands a neat one-two combination finishing with an uppercut.
Round 5: Richards is being encouraged to stay on his jab but all of a sudden lands a huge punch over the top. Buatsi responds with a brutal flurry of punches with Richards pinned into the ropes. That attack looks to have taken it out of Buatsi a little but he’s allowed to recover with Richards also catching his breath.
Round 4 Buatsi has Richards in the corner but some neat footwork sees them reverse roles before the referee breaks them up. Buatsi lands a series of fierce body shots as Richards attempts to lean on him. A big left hook from Buatsi excites the crowd but Richards stands firm. Buatsi is certainly looking for the knockout blow. With 10 seconds to go it’s like Babic-Balski as both fighters unload. More of that, please.
Round 3: A big right hook from Richards doesn’t trouble Buatsi. Richards is doing his best to keep Buatsi at range and then attacks to deliver Buatsi a slight wobble on his feet. Both fighters land some hefty body shots and it’s Richards who comes out with a bit of showboating as the bell goes with Buatsi struggling to get near him.
Round 2: Chants of “Spider” bellow out but it’s Buatsi who responds to the chants with some fierce hits. Richards goes for an uppercut which loosely connects before Buatsi forces his opponent towards the ropes. Richards continues to probe with his left jab with Buatsi playing the waiting game at present.
Round 1: Richards lands a right jab early on and a few early one-two combinations has Buatsi on the defensive but with 30 seconds to go Buatsi comes alive with a devastating one-two of his own that has Richards pinned on the ropes. Richards manages to escape and Buatsi comes again before the bell.
Hereeeee we go! The time has come. The fight starts NOW.
10:45 p.m. BST (5:45 p.m. ET): Buatsi’s in the ring and looking as calm and composed as ever. Hearn looks a little more concerned, though. Richards, 32 and three years older than his opponent, starts to make his ring walk now to “Forever Young.”
10:34 p.m. (5:34 p.m. ET): Chantelle Cameron defends her IBF/WBC super bantamweight titles against Victoria Noella Bustos with a unanimous decision victory (100-90, 100-90, 100-90).
The British fighter took control in the early rounds, barely giving her opponent a second to breathe as she followed her every move around the ring, but Bustos was equal to most of the punches thrown her way.
A scrappy affair ensued with little to get the crowd on the feet like we saw in the previous fight, but nonetheless it’s another win on Cameron’s record.
10:27 p.m. (5:27 p.m. ET): Into the last round of Cameron vs. Bustos which means it’s almost business time for “Just Business.”
🔥 It’s almost 𝐉𝐁 time!@MatchroomBoxing | #BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/CtjccdsAJ6
— 258MGT (@258mgt) May 21, 2022
10:15 p.m. (5:15 p.m. ET): Time to start making those final predictions for Buatsi vs. Richards.
Pre-fight thoughts from the Destroyer @ConorNigel 🥊#ConorBenn #JDSports @MatchroomBoxing #BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/NsGJ5kES3F
— JD Sports (@JDSports) May 21, 2022
10 p.m. (5 p.m. ET): Huge cheers for Chantelle Cameron as she makes her way out to take on Victoria Moelia Bustos. After this one it’s Buatsi and Richards taking to the ring.
9:44 p.m. (4:44 p.m. ET): Alen Babic beats Adam Balski by unanimous decision (97-91, 97-91, 95-93) in a fight between two absolute warriors.
Babic boasted a record of 10 fights, 10 KOs going into this one but that record almost came to an abrupt end when Balksi caught him in the opening 30 seconds with a left hook to knock him down.
Babic is down in the FIRST round 😲 pic.twitter.com/oJufjnAlGR
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 21, 2022
Jabs don’t exist in this fight, it’s all about landing that knockout blow as someone shouts out from the crowd, “This should be the main event!” It’s hard to disagree. Blink and you miss it.
As the rounds went on, both fighters’ legs began to look heavy, but Babic continued to pin his opponent against the ropes in search of that killer blow.
Balski certainly won himself no fans with a late, cheap shot after the bell at the end of the ninth that sent Babic wayward into the ropes. Balski was deducted a point for his actions.
All business 💼 #BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/Pwhhykux9b
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 21, 2022
9 p.m. (4 p.m. ET): The second fight of the main card sees Ellie Scotney retain her WBA Intercontinental super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Cecilla Roman (100-90, 99-91, 99-91).
Neither woman has ever finished an opponent so it was no surprise they went the distance.
In Round 8, Scotney knocked Roman down, albeit via a push. Roman, 15 years older than Scotney, who only turned pro in 2020, desperately needed a KO, but in truth that never looked likely throughout.
Scotney called out Ebanie Bridges immediately after in her postfight interview.
8:32 p.m. (3:32 p.m. ET): It’s not quite “fast approaching” given the undercard fights look to be going the distance so far and ring walks still expected to be around 10.30 p.m. BST (5:30 p.m. ET), but Richards certainly looks like a man relaxed backstage.
☝️ @craiglrichards backstage… Our main event is fast approaching!#BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/0KSG3iH41l
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 21, 2022
8:02 p.m. (3:02 p.m. ET): The main card is well underway with Robbie Davies Jr having just beaten Javier Molina via split decision (94-97, 96-94, 96-94).
Things properly came to life in the seventh round as Molina went through the ropes and out the ring with Davies dominating his opponent as the American took a knee several times. But a round later Davies was praying for the bell after being hit with a huge shot to stumble his way to the end of the round.
Davies kept his composure, though, and has now won his last three fights, although unlike his previous two being courtesy of knockouts, he was made to work for victory here.
Judging by Davies’ reaction, though, you feel he was perhaps a tad lucky to get away with that result.
SPLIT DECISION: @RobbieDaviesJr edges Molina 96-94, 94-97, 96-94…#DaviesJrMolina #BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/5vugmD3CDn
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 21, 2022
7:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. ET): With the fight billed as a WBA title eliminator, Buatsi believes he’s ready to mix it up with the best as he bids to keep his unbeaten record (15-0) intact.
“It’s my most important fight to date,” the 29-year-old said.
“Why? Because it’s the next one and every fight I want to keep on progressing and winning.
“It’s just a matter of being ready. I’ve made it clear to these guys I’m ready.”
Rest assured, though, Richards has his own dreams and ambitions to rise to the top of the light heavyweight division.
“I’m not here to spoil the party, I’m here to fulfil; my own dreams and keep moving forward in my career,” the 32-year-old said.
7:10 p.m. (2:10 p.m. ET): In need of a video to whet your appetite? If you’re wondering why Buatsi is considered a knockout artist, then look no further. Of his 15 fights to date, he has stopped his opponent 13 times.
Stand in the way of Buatsi & you’ll likely see the canvas 👀#BuatsiRichards pic.twitter.com/S4ZAsy6TaV
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 21, 2022
6:40 p.m. (1:40 p.m. ET): Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the light heavyweight clash between Buatsi and Richards. We’re in position at O2 Arena in what promises to be one of the biggest British dust-ups of the year as Buatsi puts his unbeaten record on the line against former world-title challenger Richards in the showpiece event of the evening.
MORE: Who is Joshua Buatsi? Record, titles won, next fight
Joshua Buatsi vs. Craig Richards card results
- Joshua Buatsi def. Craig Richards via unanimous decision
- Chantelle Cameron def. Victoria Moelia Bustos via unanimous decision
- Alen Babic def. Adam Balski via unanimous decision
- Ellie Scotney def. Maria Cecilia Roman via unanimous decision
- Robbie Davies Jr. def. Javier Molina via split decision
Joshua Buatsi record and bio
- Nationality: British
- Born: March 14, 1993
- Height: 6-2
- Reach: 74.5 inches
- Total fights: 15
- Record: 16-0 (13 KOs)
Craig Richards record and bio
- Nationality: English
- Born: April 30, 1990
- Height: 6-1
- Reach: 73 inches
- Total fights: 20
- Record: 17-3-1 (10 KOs)
