Joshua Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs) weighed in at 174.10 lbs, while his opponent, Zach Parker (26-1,18 KOs), scaled in at 174.9 pounds for their 10-round headliner for the WBO International light heavyweight title this Saturday, November 1, at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, England. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT, and 7:30 p.m. GMT.
Winner Targets Benavidez–Yarde
Buatsi and Parker have a lot on the line for this clash. The winner could be fighting for a world title against whoever emerges victorious in next month’s fight between WBC 175-lb champion David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde for their clash on November 22.
Weights
- Joshua Buatsi: 174.10 vs. Zach Parker: 174.9
- Brad Rea: 173.13 vs. Lyndon Arthur: 174.13
- Liam Cameron: 173.13 vs. Troy Jones: 174.11
- Billy Deniz: 174.3 vs. Ezra Arenyeka: 177.3
- Khaleel Majid: 139.14 vs. David Ryan: 140
- Luke Prior: 147.10 vs. Eduardo Vera Sanchez: 150.6
- John Tom Varey: 115.8 vs. Brandon Gallardo Vargas: 116.12
- Stephen Clarke: 161.8 vs. Jose Aguirre: 161.4
- Brad Casey: 201.7 vs. Antonio Borovina: 200
- Leon Hughes: 180.2 vs. Pavol Garaj: 174.15
- Jermaine Dhliwayo: 129.7 vs. Cesar Paredes: 130.12
“He’s an ambitious fighter, and that makes him a dangerous fighter. That’s enough information for me,” said Joshua Buatsi to talkSport Boxing about Zach Parker. “I have to win this one to keep moving forward. “He [promoter Frank Warren] said the winner becomes #1. You want to be in that position to be #1 to challenge for a title. So, I’m happy about that.”
Why This Fight Still Matters
Winning on Saturday could push Buatsi to #1 in the WBC’s rankings at 175. That still doesn’t mean he’ll be next to challenge the winner of the November 22nd clash between WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde. The winner will surely be looking to challenge Dmitry Bivol for his IBF, WBA, and WBO 175-lb belts.
Given the way Parker and Buatsi looked in their recent fights, they’re not fighting at the level that WBC champion Benavidez is right now. So, if they do challenge him, they’re going to have to make colossal improvements in their game for them not to wind up as Benavidez’s next victim.
“This is a guy that is determined. He knows that winning this fight is very important to him. I’m dealing with a dangerous fighter,” said Buatsi to Queensberry about Zach. “We have to show that we’re better on Saturday. Yeah,” said Joshua when asked if he’d watched much of Parker.
The 32-year-old Buatsi can’t afford to lose this fight if he wants to get a shot at the winner of the November 22nd fight between WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde. Buatsi’s recent 12-round split decision defeat against Callum Smith on February 22, 2025, took a lot of the air out of his career.
Joshua had been criticized going into that fight for the glacially slow approach he’s taken during his career, and his habit of taking long periods of inactivity. He’s got to win on Saturday and take the fight against the Benavidez-Yarde if it’s there for him.
“I’ve been waiting for a chance for a long time now,” said Parker. “I got upset when I broke my hand in the Ryder fight, but I’ve been rebuilding from them. I’m here now, and I can’t wait for it. This has probably been my best camp of my life.”
Parker Needs His Old Form Back
It’s going to need to be the best version of Parker from four years ago for him to defeat Buatsi, because it’s a big step up from the four low-level fighters that he’s fought during his recent rebuild job.
Parker took a lot of heat from boxing fans for giving up after four rounds due to a hand injury in his fight against John Ryder on November 26, 2022. People believe that Parker should have stayed in there and fought with the injury, as he was facing a guy that he should have been able to beat.
Buatsi’s Chin Still a Question Mark
Buatsi is far from invincible, as we saw in his 12-round split decision to 35-year-old Callum Smith earlier this year on February 22nd, 2025, in Riyadh. Parker has a chance of winning if he can make the fight a war, as Callum did, and focus on targeting Buatsi’s head.
Smith hurt him in his previous fight against Willy Hutchinson. Those two fights may have taken something out of Buatsi. Even if they didn’t, he showed vulnerability in the chin department that Zach can capitalize on if he’s willing to go to war with him.
