Joshua Buatsi: British light-heavyweight can still be world champion, says Steve Bunce

I know Joshua Buatsi very well but, at the same time, I don’t know him at all.

Buatsi, who fights fellow Briton Zach Parker at light-heavyweight in Manchester on Saturday night, is an incredibly private man.

In fact, he might be one of the most private boxers I’ve ever known.

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.

None of this is covered, and he doesn’t want any of it covered.

So there is no doubt that Buatsi is a great man.

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?

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.

Since turning pro in 2017, Buatsi has had hard, tough fights but has never taken a beating.

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.

With the way things can open up – a vacant title or two – I do think he will become a world champion.