Joshua Buatsi to face Dan Azeez, Conor Benn also in action

FIGHT WEEK

Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez are scheduled to face off in a pivotal 175-pound fight on Saturday. On the same day, in Las Vegas, 147-pound contender Conor Benn returns against Peter Dobson.

JOSHUA BUATSI (17-0, 13 KOs)
VS. DAN AZEEZ (20-0, 13 KOS)

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 3
• Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
• Where: OVO Arena Wembley, London
• TV/Stream: Peacock
• Division: Light heavyweight (175 pounds)
• At stake: No major titles
• Pound-for-pound: None
• Odds: Buatsi 3½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)

• Also on the card: Adam Azim vs. Enoch Poulsen, junior welterweights; Caroline Dubois vs. TBA, lightweights
• Background: Unbeaten 175-pounders Buatsi and Azeez will be fighting for the right to face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol, although the winner might have to wait until after a potential title-unification bout between Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Buatsi, 30, is a talented 2016 Olympic bronze medalist who has remained perfect as a professional but has yet to face an elite opponent. The Ghana-born Londoner is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Pawel Stepien on May 6. Azeez is a friend and former stablemate of Buatsi. The 34-year-old from London also has built his record against second-tier opponents. He last fought on July 15, when he outpointed journeyman Khalid Graidia in an eight-rounder. The Buatsi-Azeez fight, originally scheduled for October, was postponed after Azeez suffered a back injury.
• Prediction: Buatsi KO 10

CONOR BENN (22-0, 14 KOs)
VS. PETER DOBSON (16-0, 9 KOS)

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 3
• Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
• Where: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas
• TV/Stream: DAZN
• Division: Welterweight (147 pounds)
• At stake: No major titles
• Pound-for-pound: None
• Odds: Benn 8-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)

• Also on the card: Austin Williams vs. Connor Coyle, middleweights; Johnny Fisher vs. Dmytro Bezus, heavyweights
• Background: Benn, a 147-pound contender, will be fighting for the second time since he tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended in the lead up to his now-canceled showdown with rival Chris Eubank Jr. last year. The 27-year-old from Essex has yet to regain his boxing license in the U.K. He returned in September from a 17-month layoff, easily outpointing Rodolfo Orozco in Florida. Dobson, 33, is an unbeaten New Yorker who will be stepping up in class when he faces Benn. And he is returning from a long layoff. Dobson last fought in June 2022, when he outpointed journeyman Rodrigo Damian Coria in an eight-round 154-pound fight.
• Prediction: Benn UD

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

• Angelo Leo vs. Mike Plania, featherweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)

FRIDAY

• Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao, lightweights, Orlando, Florida (DAZN)
• Quashawn Toler vs. Vlad Panin, welterweights, Houston (DAZN)