Edwards vs Moreno: Joshua Buati talks about strength in silence, dangerous rivals, and ruling Britain
Written by News on 23/03/2019
Joshua Buatsi tells Sky Sports about never wasting a word, relishing fights with dangerous Russians, and becoming Britain’s leading light-heavyweight.
“There’s something in silence. Everyone can talk, but if someone is quiet, you don’t know what they’re thinking,” said Buatsi as he reflected on the brash claims and stinging insults that usually precede a fight.
“I think that’s the most dangerous thing, if you don’t know what a man is thinking.”
He kept his counsel amidst the overzealous predictions from recent opponent Renold Quinlan, who did not last one round, hastily leaving the ring after a heavy knockdown.
But Buatsi has broken his own code of silence, perhaps intentionally in response to debate about his current standing in the domestic division.
Callum Johnson suffered a creditable defeat at world title level, losing an early shootout with IBF champion Artur Beterbiev, while fellow Londoner Anthony Yarde has been lined up to challenge WBO title holder Sergey Kovalev.
The lofty ambitions of his rivals mean little to Buatsi, who insists he should be regarded as the best on these shores if he beats Liam Conroy in Saturday’s British title fight, live on Sky Sports.
“I think solely whoever is British champion at the time, unless someone has got a world title – that makes you No 1 in the country,” Buatsi told Sky Sports.
“Once I have that belt, I don’t want to hear anything from anyone. Unless you’ve got that belt and you’re in that division, don’t talk about anything else.”
Like Johnson and Yarde, there are plans in place for the 26-year-old to head to America, possibly on the undercard for Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title defence against Jarrell Miller in New York on June 1, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
“I feel they’ll like my style”, says Buatsi, who admits he needs to make his name in the States, where fearsome champions such as Kovalev, Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol lie in wait for challengers.
The threat of such explosive punchers does not dissuade Buatsi, a ruthless finisher himself, with three successive first-round stoppages on his record.
“It’s a risk to me, but it’s also a risk to them,” he said. “These are good dangerous fighters, but you’re also a dangerous fighter as well.”
Another swift victory would not be a surprise to Buatsi, insisting there is ‘method in the madness’ of an early, emphatic assault.
Retaining his composure in the moments before that clinical attack is crucial for Buatsi, who recalls one of his favourite quotes as he was thrust into the spotlight after winning bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“Silence is not empty, it’s full of answers.”
He’ll break again from that disciplined calm when the bell tolls for his battle with Conroy.
Watch Charlie Edwards defend WBC title against Angel Moreno, with Joshua Buatsi and Lawrence Okolie also on the Copper Box Arena bill, on Saturday, from 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action.
(c) Sky News 2019: Edwards vs Moreno: Joshua Buati talks about strength in silence, dangerous rivals, and ruling Britain
