Buatsi vs Richards

Who won Buatsi vs Richards?

Joshua Buatsi beat Craig Richards by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, May 21st, 2022, at The O2 Arena, London.

The scorecards were announced as 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 in favor of winner Joshua Buatsi.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 175 pounds (12.5 stone or 79.4 kg).

Also on the undercard Robbie Davies Jnr was victorious over Javier Molina, Alen Babic beat Adam Balski, and Chantelle Cameron defeated Victoria Noelia Bustos.

Buatsi vs Richards stats

Back in May 2022, Joshua Buatsi stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 15 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 13 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Craig Richards made his way to the ring with a record of 17 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 10 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Buatsi had a large advantage in power over Richards, boasting a 87% knockout percentage compared to Richards' 59%.

Joshua Buatsi was the younger man by 3 years, at 29 years old.

Buatsi had a height advantage of 1 inch over Richards. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.

Both Joshua Buatsi and Craig Richards fought out of an orthodox stance.

Buatsi was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 5 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2017, 2 years and 1 month later than Richards, whose first professional fight was in 2015. He had fought 31 fewer professional rounds, totaling 111 compared to Richards' 142.

Joshua Buatsi went into the fight ranked number 3 by the WBA, 4 by the WBC, 6 by the WBO, and 2 by the IBF at light heavyweight.

Craig Richards was ranked number 7 by the WBA, and 14 by the WBC in the 175lb division.

Buatsi vs Richards form

Buatsi remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 5 of his recent opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had beaten Ricards Bolotniks on August 14, 2021, by technical knockout in the 11th round in their WBA Super World Light Flyweight eliminator fight at Matchroom Fight Camp, Essex, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had beaten Daniel Blenda Dos Santos on May 15, 2021, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Manchester Arena, Lancashire.

Going into that contest, he had won against Marko Calic on October 4, 2020, by technical knockout in the 7th round at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Before that, he had beaten Ryan Ford on August 31, 2019, by knockout in the 7th round at O2 Arena, London.

He had defeated Marco Antonio Periban on June 1, 2019, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Madison Square Garden, New York, United States.

Richards had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Marek Matyja on October 30, 2021, by technical knockout in the 6th round at O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Dmitry Bivol on May 1, 2021, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Manchester Arena, Manchester.

Going into that contest, he had won against Shakan Pitters on December 18, 2020, by technical knockout in the 9th round in their BBBOC British Light heavyweight championship fight at Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios, Worcestershire.

Before that, he had defeated Andre Sterling on June 21, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at York Hall, London.

He had beaten Jake Ball on February 2, 2019, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at O2 Arena, London.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Joshua Buatsi had been fighting more than Craig Richards.

Going into this contest, Joshua Buatsi had last fought 9 months and 7 days ago, while Craig Richards' last outing had been 6 months and 21 days ago.

Buatsi's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 20 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 7 months and 5 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

Richards' last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 3 months and 19 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 7 months and 28 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 42 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.4 rounds on average.

What time did Buatsi vs Richards start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM BST at The O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom, which was 5:00 PM EST or 2:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America.

Who broadcast Buatsi vs Richards?

The DAZN show began at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST. The DAZN Global broadcast of the card started at 7:00 PM (BST).

What were the odds on Buatsi vs Richards?

Joshua Buatsi was a 1/5 (-500) favorite going into the contest, while Craig Richards made his way into the ring at 7/2 (+350) with oddsmakers.