All the details you need to watch the Joshua Buatsi vs Marko Calic title fight
‘JB’ vs ‘MC’
BBN have provided viewers with all the details needed to tune in and watch the championship clash between Ghanian-born Londoner Joshua Buatsi (12-0, 10KOs) and Croat challenger Marko Calic (11-0, KOs) on the same day in history that Floyd Patterson KO'd Tom McNeeley in four rounds for the heavyweight world boxing title in 1961.
Date
The bout takes place on Sunday, December 4.
Venue
It takes place behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.
Rounds scheduled
12 three-minute championship rounds at light-heavyweight (175lbs).
Titles
Buatsi's WBA International title that he won in 2018 is on the line.
Ringwalks
The ring walks for the main event are expected from 10pm UK time, but that will depend on the undercard results.
TV Coverage
Coverage for Buatsi-Calic starts live on Sky Sports Arena from around 7:00pm, then it moves to Sky Sports Main Event at 9:30pm, and will be broadcast on DAZN in the US.
Live Stream
You can watch online via the Sky Sports website here: https://www.skysports.com/watch
BBN are providing LIVE updates HERE
There is one other way that you can watch if you are not a Sky TV customer, or if you are just out and about on Saturday night by simply finding a suitable pub that is showing the event by visiting pubfinder.sky.com
Price
Free to view for Sky Sports subscribers.
Undercard Highlights
Northampton’s Chantelle Cameron (12-0, 7KOs) gets her well deserved world title shot against unbeaten Brazilian Adriana Dos Santos Araujo (6-0, 1KOs).
‘Il Capo’ Cameron, 29, won two WBC final eliminators in 2019 and now gets her shot at the WBC super-lightweight strap against the ‘Pitbull’.
Cameron is currently ranked at WBC #5 and WBA#2 and her opponent from Sao Paulo is WBC #3 and WBA #11.
Full fight preview HERE
Related Articles
Everything you ever need to know about Buatsi-Calic can be found HERE
Quotes
Joshua Buatsi: “Marko Calic is a solid opponent who will be coming to win. He’s very experienced in the amateur scene and was around on the circuit years before me. He boxed in the 91kg category as an amateur, I always fought at 81kg. He's represented his country in a lot of tournaments, Europeans, World Championships and the World Series of Boxing. This is a well-established amateur.
“As a pro he is undefeated with a record of 11-0. That’s all I need to know about him. He had loads of WSB fights so he knows what he is doing. He knows how to handle himself. It’s my job to go in there and to come out on top, which I’m very confident of doing. I’m doing everything that I can to make sure that I remain unbeaten on October 4th. The aim is to go out there and box, get some rounds in. I wouldn’t shy away from saying if I hurt someone within the first couple of rounds, I’m there to close the show. The overall aim is to win. That’s where my mind set is at. On October 4th that’s what I’m getting in there to do.”
Marko Calic: “I have known Joshua Buatsi since my days in the amateurs. I have followed his professional career since he switched from the amateurs after the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. He is a strong fighter and has a good boxing IQ. He is a good technician, but I also believe in my boxing ability and I will be ready on October 4.
“As an amateur, I was fighting at 91kg in the Heavyweight category, so our paths never crossed in the ring. When I was in the European Championships in Samokov in 2015, I think he won a bronze medal, so yes I know him pretty well. I’ve watched him progress in the professional ranks and he is a good fighter, so I will be well prepared.
“I expect that Buatsi will come forward and take the fight to me. I will try to counterpunch him, but I will also be ready to fight fire with fire. My main focus is to do my best. One of my main strengths is that I am taller than most of my opponents. I am also a very good technical boxer with a high boxing IQ.”
Prediction
BBN Editor, Tim Rickson: “Calic is skilful and capable after spending a lifetime in boxing, but Buatsi is a level above him. His varied shot selections will land all fight long, with ramrod jabs, body shots, uppercuts, left and right hooks. The Brit is 175lbs of pure muscle and those shots are whipped in with spite and power, and no one can withstand that for too long. Only one man has made it as far as seven rounds with JB and that was Canadian Ryan Ford (17-6, 12KOs), who has shared the ring with world title contender and Canelo's next challenger Avni Yildirim (21-2, 12KOs). Joshua became the only man to stop Ford.
“I expect Buatsi cut Calic down within the first four rounds.”
Read the full preview HERE
Background
Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Joshua Buatsi is defending his WBA International light-heavyweight title for a fifth time to newest challenger Marko Calic (11-0, 6KOs) over 10-rounds.
Ghana-born Buatsi, 27 from Croydon, won his WBA regional strap via a first-round knockout in October 2018, then he defended it two months later in December with another first-round knockout win.
Trained by Mark Gillespie, he then became British champion with a third-round knockout of Cumbria’s Liam Conroy (18-5-1, 9KOs), which was followed by a further two defences of the WBA ranking title – a fourth-round knockout then a seventh-round knockout. There’s a theme here…
His 13th opponent is a fellow unbeaten light-heavyweight who has a brace of wins in the amateurs over ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic (4-0, 4KOs), who is currently bulldozing his way through the heavyweight division. Standing at 6ft 3”, he regularly weighed in at 200lbs. His last fight in the World Series Boxing, he weighed lighter at 178lbs. Buatsi also appeared in the WSB on the British Lionhearts team, but they never met in the ring due to being in seperate weight classes.
The 33-year-old Central European is used to being visitor – this is his 12th pro fight in an eighth different country. He was an experienced, elite amateur and now currently unbeaten as a pro , so he deserves respect from anyone he faces.
In 2019, Calic fought three times against opponents with a combined record of 37-31-3. Buatsi also fought in three fights, which were all championship contests scheduled for 10 or 12 rounds, and his trio of rivals had a fmuch better record of 57-11-2.
Nine of Buatsi’s 12 opponents have had winning records, Calic has only faced seven so far and has never been involved in a championship bout, whereas this is Josh’s seventh time.
Both fighters were experienced amateurs, but Buatsi has had far better tests in the pros and will be the favourite going into this one.
Full fight preview HERE
Betting Odds Supplied by 888Sport
1/20 Joshua Buatsi
12/1 Marko Calic
25/1 Draw
Running Order
Joshua Buatsi vs Marko Calic
12×3 WBA International light-heavyweight title
Chantelle Cameron vs Adriana dos Santos Araujo
10×2 WBC World Female super-lightweight title
Linus Udofia vs John Harding Jr
10×3 English middleweight title
Alen Babic vs Niall Kennedy
8×3 Heavyweight contest
Aqib Fiaz vs Kane Baker
8×3 Lightweight contest
John Hedges vs Jan Ardon
4×3 Super-middleweight contest
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