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I know Joshua Buatsi very well but, at the same time, I don’t know him at all.<\/b><\/p>\n
Buatsi, who fights fellow Briton Zach Parker at light-heavyweight in Manchester on Saturday night, is an incredibly private man. <\/p>\n
In fact, he might be one of the most private boxers I’ve ever known.<\/p>\n
He has great Christian faith. He stands in a pulpit and preaches. He does so much work in different parts of the world, specifically Ghana, which is the country of his heritage.<\/p>\n
None of this is covered, and he doesn’t want any of it covered.<\/p>\n
So there is no doubt that Buatsi is a great man.<\/p>\n
But as a boxer, is he where I expected him to be, having watched him in the flesh winning Olympic bronze for Great Britain at Rio 2016?<\/p>\n
No, he’s not. I thought he might be a little bit further advanced. That doesn’t mean he won’t get where I expect him to get, though.<\/p>\n
Since turning pro in 2017, Buatsi has had hard, tough fights but has never taken a beating.<\/p>\n
He’s 32, but he’s relatively fresh. He’s been learning, certainly in the last two or three years. He’s not been over-fighting. He’s not weary and he’s not tired.<\/p>\n
With the way things can open up – a vacant title or two – I do think he will become a world champion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n