Joshua Buatsi has yet to fulfil his obvious potential but beating Callum Smith will take him to within touching distance of a world title
Joshua Buatsi is determined to be reinstated as boxing’s poster boy after his face was wiped from London’s streets.
The Brit had his features plastered on a wall in his hometown of Croydon after winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Buatsi, now 31, was tipped to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua and replicate his amateur success in the professional ranks. But injury and inactivity stalled a career which looked destined to culminate in world title glory.
A win over Willy Hutchinson last year, however, earned the light-heavyweight an interim belt which could be upgraded to the real deal if Buatsi beats Callum Smith on Saturday night. The winner of the all-British clash will be slated to fight either Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol who meet again for the undisputed title in the weekend’s main event.
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But should the king of the division swerve his obligations, Buatsi could be crowned champion by default – which would be enough for him to demand his mural is restored. “I’m gutted they took it down,” he said. “The deal was to have it up for a year. It was up for longer but they took it down in the end so the aim is to get another one up.
“It was crazy. I was like, ‘Why the hell is there a mural of me up?’, but it was amazing. Coming from Croydon and how we are, you don’t imagine these things happening to you. It was great to go to the Games and to be able to see the mural. All my friends were sending me pictures saying, ‘Is that you? I can’t believe there is a mural of you!’. What a life, it was mad. I don’t know what’s up there now but it’s not me so I’m not happy about that!”
Four of Buatsi’s teammates from Rio went on to win world titles while the Londoner retreated into boxing’s shadows. But if out of sight was out of mind, Buatsi is confident he can return to the limelight. “I care less now, because it is what it is,” he added. “This is how I am and I’m not trying to please people. Growing up I always tried to fit in but I never fitted in and the older I got the more I realised it’s a good thing. I love that I don’t fit in.
“I’m happy with my career. There are bits I could say, ‘I wish this or that’ but it’s part of the journey and at the end of the day I can say I had a mad career, I achieved this and I achieved that. “I’m still undefeated, I’ve got a good record, I’ve got an interim title and closer to a world title so that proves to me I’m on the right path. It’s all about picking out what you can be optimistic about; if not you start questioning whether it’s worth it.”
Watch Buatsi vs Smith live on TNT Sport Box Office this Saturday. Buy at www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
