Joshua Buatsi vs. Jean Pascal - IBF Ordered

[Ruthless-RKO]

This has been ordered.

Is this a step back for Buatsi?

What’s Pascal done to be in this position?

Pascal does have a lot of experience and is a multiple time world champion too.

Recent drug issues too.

[jameswilson]

I think Bolotniks would beat Pascal. In saying that if that’s who the ordered opponent is then so be it.

[Chinny banger]

How is it a step back?

Guys won 3 on the bounce v Fenlong, Badou Jack and Marcus Browne. Much bigger challenge whatever his age than Bolotniks or Spider Richards. From the pressers to the 12th round you can be sure Pascal will be throwing bombs.

[Ruthless-RKO]

How is it a step back?

Guys won 3 on the bounce v Fenlong, Badou Jack and Marcus Browne. Much bigger challenge whatever his age than Bolotniks or Spider Richards. From the pressers to the 12th round you can be sure Pascal will be throwing bombs.

I only asked the question because I seen a few comments.

Let’s not forget he pissed got after he heat Jack as well.

I still think it’s a good fight.

To think Froch fought him in 2008 …

[wrighty]

I reckon Pascal gets on the good stuff to fight Buatsi

[gregregegg]

This is the fight i thought buatsi would take next. pascal is a name, coming of a decent win, but Pascal is old. wanna get that fight done september, always looks better when your opponents still in there 30s. also get it done in september if you get out unscathed you can try get a december date.


Buatsi should be fighting yard, callum smith, gilbert, or for a belt. but this is what i expected.

[Coco]

Obviously Pascal has been carefully picked, nevertheless he can still really fight despite his age and wear and tear.

If he comes through it will def be Buatsis best win

[cpx2]

Obviously Pascal has been carefully picked, nevertheless he can still really fight despite his age and wear and tear.

If he comes through it will def be Buatsis best win

It’s an IBF mandatory. Don’t think there’s even been an indication of whether Buatsi goes this route or not.

[joshj909]

Good fight for me. Winnable for both men despite Pascal's age. We will learn more about Buatsi's level and potential from this fight than all his others combined.

[liamlion]

Buatsi, the next fighter to leave Eddie?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Buatsi, the next fighter to leave Eddie?

Yeh. He and Okolie are both managed by 258 aren’t they?

Maybe they think it’s best they guys are on Sky?

[liamlion]

Buatsi, the next fighter to leave Eddie?

Yeh. He and Okolie are both managed by 258 aren’t they?

Maybe they think it’s best they guys are on Sky?

I think so. Sky is the biggest platform. They obviously pay well and have connections with all the other promoters without issue whereas DAZN is struggling in terms of its reach and Eddie Hearn is an increasingly isolated individual particularly with the American promoters.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Buatsi, the next fighter to leave Eddie?

Yeh. He and Okolie are both managed by 258 aren’t they?

Maybe they think it’s best they guys are on Sky?

I think so. Sky is the biggest platform. They obviously pay well and have connections with all the other promoters without issue whereas DAZN is struggling in terms of its reach and Eddie Hearn is an increasingly isolated individual particularly with the American promoters.

Makes sense.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Buatsi, Pascal Both Accept IBF Invitation To Enter Talks For Ordered Title Eliminator

An easier time came of proceeding with plans to determine the next IBF mandatory challenger than was the case at heavyweight earlier this year.

Boxing Scene has confirmed that representatives for Joshua Buatsi and Jean Pascal have both responded to and accepted an invitation from the IBF to enter talks for a sanctioned final eliminator. Both parties were required to respond by Monday at 5:00 p.m. with their intentions to proceed with the fight, which will be followed by the next step of the IBF assigning a free negotiation period to work out terms.

The winner of the eventual eliminator will become the IBF mandatory challenger to lineal and unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KOs).

Should the bout go to a purse bid hearing, Buatsi would be entitled to 60 percent of the winning bid as the higher ranked challenger (currently number three) per IBF rule 9.D (c). The remaining 40 percent would go to Pascal as the number-six ranked contender.

In between the two are a pair of contenders with other plans.

England’s Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21KOs) is the number-four-ranked light heavyweight, though with a clear shot at Beterbiev (18-0, 18KOs) as the WBO mandatory. The two are due to collide later this fall, likely to come October 22 in London.

One spot below Yarde on the IBF list is Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (44-0, 30KOs), a former WBO super middleweight titlist from Mazatlan, Mexico. Ramirez is currently the number-one ranked contender with the WBA and in talks for a mandatory shot at WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11KOs).

Interestingly, Buatsi (16-0, 13KOs) was being groomed for a shot at Bivol before the WBA stepped in to order its mandatory title fight. Both are promoted by Matchroom Boxing, with group chairman Eddie Hearn previously declaring his intentions to stage such a fight later this fall. However, such talks were trumped by the sanctioning body’s ruling, at which point it was too late to file an exemption for Bivol to first make a voluntary defense.

The development led to representatives for Buatsi—a Bronze medalist for the 2016 Great Britain Olympic Boxing team that competed in Rio—to move forward with a very makeable fight with Quebec’s Pascal, a former lineal/WBC light heavyweight champion.

Pascal was on board from the moment the fight was offered. Greg Leon, Pascal’s longtime manager, immediately contacted the IBF to confirm their side’s intentions to take a fight that would place the Haiti-born, Quebec-based former champ back in title contention.

Both are coming off wins just one day apart this past May.

The 39-year-old Pascal (36-6-1, 20KOs) returned to the title stage following a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Meng Fanlong on May 20 in Plant City, Florida. Fanlong entered the fight as the number-one contender and with hopes of challenging Beterbiev, who at the time was four weeks out from his eventual second-round knockout of Joe Smith Jr. in their June 18 lineal/WBC/IBF/WBO unification bout in New York City.

Pascal ruined those plans, dropping Fanlong in the ninth-round of their ProBox TV main event en route to a competitive but unanimous decision in his first fight following a 28-month layoff. Pascal hadn’t fought since a 12-round, split decision win over Badou Jack in December 2019, four months after claiming a secondary WBA light heavyweight title in a technical decision win over then-unbeaten Marcus Browne in August 2019.

The two were due to meet again last June 6 in Miami Gardens, Florida, only for Pascal to test positive for multiple banned substances through testing contracted by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). He’s since proven to be a clean fighter and—with his win over Fanlong—still a top player at light heavyweight.

Buatsi survived a stiff challenge from former title challenger Craig Richards, claiming a points win in a WBA semi-final title eliminator on May 21 at The O2 in London. His feat occurred seven days after Ramirez scored a fourth-round knockout of Germany’s Dominic Boesel in their May 14 final eliminator, which in turn came one week after Bivol turned away the challenge of pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for a career-best win on May 7 in Las Vegas.

With Bivol and Ramirez likely on course to collide later this year, a fight between Buatsi and Pascal is a proper next step for both boxers. Virgil Hunter, Buatsi’s head trainer, made note after the win over Richards that he’d like to see his fighter further develop to reach a point where he’s able to retain a major title rather than just simply claim a belt. Pascal’s willingness to take on all comers has been the theme throughout a career now entering its 18th year.

The development at light heavyweight comes just months after the IBF spent most of the first two months of the year establishing a heavyweight eliminator through a similar process.

The sanctioning body went through a lengthy list of ranked contenders who turned down a fight with unbeaten 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist Filip Hrgovic for a variety of reasons. China's Zhang Zhilei accepted the invitation in February, though the fight went to a purse bid hearing won by Hrgovic's co-promoters Wasserman Boxing and Matchroom Boxing.

The bout was due to take place May 7, only for Hrgovic to force a postponement due to personal reasons. It is now tentatively slated for August 20 on the undercard of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight title fight rematch in Saudi Arabia, though the eliminator was not yet formally announced as part of the show.

Plans for Buatsi-Pascal are expected to be much neater. Pascal's team has expressed a willingness to travel to Buatsi's London home region for such a fight.

[THEBUTCH]

I've far more respect for Buatsi than Yarde...if he takes part in this eliminator with Pascal he will at the very least have earned his world title shot.

[1061835]

Not a huge fan of Buatsi but he surely has enough for Pascal at their respective points in their careers.

[gregregegg]

Buatsi has had one of the more disapointing pro carrers iv seen. Not as disapointing as hrgovic or ivan dychco, but a step just bellow that. at least craig richards was decent opponent, but if he is half what he is claimed to be he should of been manovered to a title shot by now.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Team Pascal Remains Hopeful Of Buatsi Bout As Deadline Looms For IBF Title Eliminator

Jean Pascal and his team remain hopeful that current talks with unbeaten contender Joshua Buatsi will lead to a showdown later this fall.

The pair of light heavyweights are at the midway point of a negotiation period for their IBF-ordered title eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for unified champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KOs). A deal must be reached by August 11 to avoid a purse bid hearing, though the order came at a time when Eddie Hearn, Buatsi’s promoter was exploring a fight with WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11KOs) who himself is currently involved in talks for an assigned mandatory title defense versus Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (44-0, 30KOs).

Buatsi somehow jumping the line to first face Bivol would require the blessing of the WBA, though such a fight is hardly necessary to disrupt the two matchups already proposed by the sanctioning bodies.

“Exceptions should be reserved for making exceptional fights. Not destroying them,” Greg Leon, Pascal’s manager, told Boxing Scene.

Quebec’s Pascal (36-6-1, 20KOs) clawed his way back into title contention following a twelve-round win over previously unbeaten Meng Fanlong this past May 20 in Plant City, Florida. Fanlong was the IBF number-one contender and with hopes of challenging Beterbiev, who at the time was four weeks out from his eventual second-round knockout of Joe Smith Jr. in their June 18 lineal/WBC/IBF/WBO unification bout in New York City.

Pascal ruined those plans, dropping Fanlong in the ninth-round of their ProBox TV main event en route to a competitive but unanimous decision in his first fight following a 28-month layoff. He hadn’t fought since a 12-round, split decision win over Badou Jack in December 2019.

A planned rematch with Jack fell through after Pascal tested positive for banned substances. It remains the lone stain on an otherwise stellar career while carving out a reputation for taking on all comers during and after his WBC and lineal light heavyweight championship reign more than a decade ago.

The proposed fight with Buatsi (16-0, 13KOs)—a 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist for Great Britain–represents a new look for the 39-year-old Pascal and his team. Hearn declared during a recent Instagram Live session that he expects Buatsi to return in November. He did not mention Pascal by name as a potential opponent, though it remains the most logical next step—and one that Pascal’s side plans to make as simple and as fair as possible in order to finalize.

“I’ve dealt with many promoters the world over, but have yet to work directly with Eddie Hearn,” pointed out Leon. “It’s something I look forward to, Matchroom is a top tier promoter and the shows they put on are always first class.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBA have said Bivol MUST fight Zurdo next.. So this should be on ...

[Ruthless-RKO]

[thenamesnevers]

Good fight and another type of test for Buatsi. Progression wise, this is a good fight for him as well. He beats Pascal and goes into a title fight with Bivol. Regardless of the result against Bivol, Callum Smith and Yarde are there as is potentially a rematch with Spider.

[daz74]

Good fight and another type of test for Buatsi. Progression wise, this is a good fight for him as well. He beats Pascal and goes into a title fight with Bivol. Regardless of the result against Bivol, Callum Smith and Yarde are there as is potentially a rematch with Spider.

If Buatsi beats Pascal he’ll be mandatory for IBF which Beterbiev holds

[Ruthless-RKO]

Eddie Hearn posted there’s big news tomorrow.

I reckon it’ll be this..

[maverick23]

Eddie Hearn posted there’s big news tomorrow.

I reckon it’ll be this..

It’s meant to be purse bids for this today so I’m sure there will be news about it today but I’d be amazed if that’s the big news.

Would be nice for him to announce more of his Q4 line up. Also rumours of a deal with someone in the UAE to host several shows.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Eddie Hearn posted there’s big news tomorrow.

I reckon it’ll be this..

It’s meant to be purse bids for this today so I’m sure there will be news about it today but I’d be amazed if that’s the big news.

Would be nice for him to announce more of his Q4 line up. Also rumours of a deal with someone in the UAE to host several shows.

Unless a deals already been agreed.
Tbh it could be many things.