According to promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer, light heavyweight contender Dan Azeez has been cleared to return to the ring early in the New Year, which paves the way to reschedule his planned domestic showdown with Joshua Buatsi.
They were previously scheduled to collide on October 21 in London. Azeez was forced to withdraw during fight week with a back injury.
Azeez will be ready to fight by mid-January.
The fight with Buatsi has been approved as a final WBA world title eliminator – with the winner landing a crack at current WBA champion Dmitry Bivol.
“For me the two biggest fights that we’ve had in this country this year have been Eubank-Smith, one and two, on British soil. For me that [Buatsi vs Azeez] was the third biggest fight in this country,” Shalom said Sky Sports.
“The way it built and the interest that it generated and the devastation when it was off was felt across British boxing. I think that shows when you’ve got a real big fight and I think it’s going to be all the bigger for it.
“Both fighters have had to endure a lot in terms of the delay in that fight. I’m just really excited for them getting back in the ring. That fight will be announced imminently.”
Azeez explained last month that he injured himself during a final training session. He withdrew from the fight only four days out.
“I was having my last real hard session and after the session I could feel a pain in my lower back, and it got worse and worse from there,” Azeez previously told Sky Sports.
“I thought I would be able to take some painkillers but the restriction, I couldn’t move the way I needed to move, both standing up and sitting down. I was not clear to box after that.
“I’ve been in fights where you get injuries. I thought it was just another niggle and I had a few days until the fight, but it just got worse and worse to the point where I couldn’t move and that’s when it was concerning for me.”
Credit: Boxing Scene