Joshua Buatsi defeated Craig Richards on points at the O2 Arena in London, paving the door for a world light-heavyweight title fight.
Buatsi, an Olympic bronze medalist in Rio in 2016, controlled the early rounds before holding off a strong comeback by Richards to win by a unanimous score of 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.
His victory in a battle billed as a WBA championship eliminator should earn him a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who regained the title after defeating Saul Alvarez in a dramatic upset earlier this month.
Bivol’s victory over Alvarez had boosted Richards’ reputation since the 32-year-old had lost on points to Bivol for the second time in his career last year.
But the strong and accurate Buatsi gained the lead right away, and Richards didn’t really start to make an impression until the fifth round.
Richards came on strong in the eighth round with a powerful right hand followed by a flurry that appeared to concern Buatsi, who was strong and accurate but tended to find success in spurts.
Richards landed more rights in the ninth, but Buatsi’s work remained cleaner, and the two proceeded to trade heavy blows in an exciting finish before Buatsi’s arm was lifted.
