Buatsi has dazzled against limited opponents in his 14 pro outings, and he has a strong amateur pedigree, having won a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Croydon banger is a skillful, intelligent and slick boxer and he has got 12 of his 14 opponents out of the ring before the final bell.
There’s no doubt that Buatsi has shown the promise which should move him beyond this level of opposition, and that’s reflected in the fight betting as a red-hot 1/11 favourite, but it’s certainly going to be an interesting test of the Brit’s credentials against the 11/2 outsider.
Bolotniks has improved no end in the last couple of years and that was highlighted by successive wins over British pair Steven Ward and Hosea Burton.
Those fights came in the Golden Contract event and the Latvian went on to win that competition when stopping Serge Michel in the final.
Michel is a classy operator, but he wasn’t in the best shape when taking on Bolotniks and the Latvian’s relentless forward pressure was too much for the German.
Just Business Can Make Short Work of Latvian
Clearly, there’s going to be a lot more coming back against Buatsi. Bolotniks has been stopped three times in his career, and while they all come before the Latvian’s recent improvement, they were all against opponents that couldn’t hold a candle to Just Business.
Buatsi has the skill to blunt Bolotniks and the Croydon man can pass his biggest test with an impressive knockout victory which is 1/3.
Age Catching up With the Jackal
WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero was due to be fighting WBC king Nonito Donaire in an all-Filipino showdown, but some ill-advised comments from Casimero ended any chance of that fight happening.
Instead, Quadro Alas will defend his title against Guillermo Rigondeaux in Carson, California. Rigondeaux is a quality operator with just a single defeat to Vasyl Lomachenko on his card.
That fight came in 2017 – the Jackal has stepped into the ring just three times since – and that’s the concern for the Cuban. Rigondeaux beat Donaire by majority decision back in 2013 and on that form he would win this fight.
However, that victory came over eight years ago and the Jackal is now in his 40s.
It’s possible that Rigondeaux has consciously decided to leave plenty of space between fights, given his age and the fact he had such a prolonged amateur career, but it has to be a worry.
Rigondeaux had originally agreed to step aside to allow the Filipino showdown to take place, but he now gets a crack at Quadro Alas.
Casimero is the younger and fresher fighter and that could see him edge out Rigondeaux at odds of 20/29. It’s likely to be an entertaining contest and one that looks pretty sure to go the full 12 rounds.
*All odds correct at time of writing
