Eddie Hearn has shed some light on Joshua Buatsi’s future, and revealed that the former Olympic athlete turned down a huge offer to fight the next Dmitry Bivol.
Buatsi has been inactive since he all the British clashes with fellow Londoner Craig Richards last year, and has been tipped to compete for the WBA Bivol lightweight title at some point in 2023.
However, following news this week that Buatsi is now an ad-free agency, Hearn revealed to ESBR boxing that the soon-to-be 30-year-old turned down a seven-figure offer to take on the Russians, and instead pursued a fight with current British champion Dan Azeez.
“He has received an offer that we have been very suitable for, and we will see what we do in the future. We offered him over a million pounds to play against Dmitry Bivol – and he turned it down.”
“It is disappointing. We want him to fight Callum Smith or Bivol, but I think he wants to play Dan Azeez.”
“Josh is a great fighter, and we’ll see what his future holds. I believe he can win world titles.”
“Once seen as a blue chip prospect, inactivity has brought Buatsi’s career to a halt recently and it’s almost been a year since he entered the ring.”
Bivol looks set to be gearing up for a money-rolling rematch against pound star Canelo Álvarez in September, however it remains unclear who he will face in the meantime.
His second meeting with Canelo looks set to come at 168lbs, means Bivol will have the chance to add the Mexican’s undisputed super-middleweight crown to the light-heavyweight world title already in his possession.
