Ghana’s Joshua Buatsi defeats Nigeria’s Dan Azeez in final eliminator for WBA title

Joshua Buatsi has defeated Dan Azeez after an eagerly awaited 12-round final  eliminator bout for the World Boxing Association (WBA) light-heavyweight title on  Saturday Night at the OVO Wembley in London. 

The rescheduled fight which was postponed late last year in October saw Buatsi won  their final eliminator for the WBA light-heavyweight title by a unanimous decision,  giving him the opportunity to stay on track for a shot at a World title. 

Dan “Super” Azeez was dropped twice in the 11th round but blamed a slippery canvas  for the knockdowns. The foes during the bout, both finished proudly on their feet and  restored their friendship after the final bell. The judges scored 116-110 and 117-109  twice, all for Buatsi.

Josh appreciated Dan, touted his level of commitment to the fight and expressed  gratitude to fans for coming out to support the bout. 

“Dan pushed me every round. He is a champion. I got the No 1 slot but I couldn’t have  done it without Dan. It was a pleasure sharing the ring with him. He made me fight  every second.” 

Dan ‘Super’ Azeez came in as the reigning British light-heavyweight champion, a title  Buatsi used to hold. But this fight’s implications reached far beyond that. As for an  eliminator for the WBA world title, both men needed victory to take their careers where  they were determined to go. 

Azeez was left to reflect on the disappointment of defeat, but was pleased to put up a  good fight against Buatsi. The 34-year-old Nigerian-British boxer Dan Azeez has done  the small arenas and everything else in between in boxing by winning for himself a 20  bout streak, 0 draws and now 1 defeat. 

Meanwhile, Josh’s boxing record now stands at a 18-0-0 which implies that he remains  undefeated having won all 18 of his professional bouts, with 13 knockouts and no  losses or draws under his belt. 

About Joshua Buatsi 

Joshua Buatsi was in Accra, Ghana — before his family moved to Thornton Heath,  south London, where he grew up. He studied at Edenham High School, and then  completed a degree at St Mary’s University, Twickenham in business management  and sports science. 

Buatsi started boxing at the age of fifteen at the South Norwood and Victory boxing  club, located in an old church ch hall near Croydon. The knockout boxer, who is  nicknamed “Just Business”, became an English national champion and won a  European bronze medal before representing Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016 

— where he also picked up a bronze medal. At the time of writing, he is 30 years old. Joshua is six-foot-two (188cm) and has a reach of 74.5 inches (189cm). The Althlete  has gone on to have a successful professional career, holding the WBA international  light-heavyweight title, and is undefeated so far. He is often referred to as somewhat  of an anomaly in the world of boxing, as unlike a great many of his peers he avoids  trash talking and is considered to be good natured. 

His former promoter Eddie Hearn described him as “the nicest, most dangerous man  you can meet”. He currently trains with a coach by name Virgil Hunter. Joshua Buatsi  has been active outside the ring too. After collecting a bronze medal at the Olympic  Games in 2016, Buatsi gained a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science. His foundation  “Joshua Buatsi Foundation” helps underprivileged youths in Ghana to develop  confidence, self-esteem and academic skills.