On Saturday at Wembley Arena in London, Dan Azeez defends his British and Commonwealth light heavyweight titles against his fellow Ring-rated friend and sparring-partner-come rival – the admired Joshua Buatsi. 

The one-time sparring partner to Artur Beterbiev discusses his history and evolving relationship with fellow south Londoner Buatsi, their highly anticipated fight that was postponed from October 21 when he suffered a back injury, the light heavyweight landscape, and more, with Declan Warrington.

Where does Joshua Buatsi rank among your toughest opponents?

He’ll definitely be my hardest test to date. His skill set; he’s got a good amateur pedigree; I’ve been sparring him for over a decade so I know what he’s capable of. Loads of things. Overall he’s a very good fighter, and I know that first hand – it’s not just watching – I’ve been in there with him, so I know what I’m up against.

He’s got a good ring IQ; he’s got a good mindset; good fundamentals. There’s a lot of things. As much as I’m fighting him, coming up [as a boxer] and sparring him – it’s weird to say, but I’ve always looked up [to him]. “This guy; he’s wicked, man; what an incredible fighter.” There’s a lot of things that makes him a good fighter, and just like me he’s undefeated. 

He ain’t put a foot wrong yet and it’s for me on February 3 to change that. Buddy [McGirt, my trainer] has watched us spar before a few times – he knows Buatsi’s strengths, as well as his weaknesses. Knows what will work; what ain’t gonna work, and what not. It’s just for us to do it on the night.

To what extent is it accurate to describe you as “friends”?

Where boxing is probably our main focus and our lives, we’re always in and amongst each other. People you see every day – your trainers – they’re your close people that you’re always around, so you’ll say, “Yeah, that’s my mate, and that’s my friend”. In terms of the boxing fraternity he’s definitely someone that’s very close to me. 

Even his former [amateur] trainer, Mark Gillespie – he’s done my corner a couple of times. We’ll see each other at certain events – boxing, or someone’s birthday – and we’re both from London, so we do see each other. Our main thing is boxing, so we’re always going to be around each other. We’re cool. There’s stuff he’s done to help me out, but that’s very much besides the point come February 3 – but he’s a cool guy.

Azeez only has good things to say about Joshua Buatsi. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)

Did you expect this day to come?

[Pauses] Yes and no. At first – even Josh has said it – there’s two people he wouldn’t fight. Me and another mate of ours, Duane Sinclair, but after he fought [Craig] “Spider” Richards, who we also know from the circuit, he came in the gym one day and was like, “Dan, actually I think we could fight”, so I think from then we probably thought maybe we can. Prior to that it was, “Nah, we wouldn’t fight”. After that, I think he was basically saying, “It’s not that bad; I’m sure we can fight and still be mates”. That’s what he was basically saying. If it’s for a lot of money or a world title, why not?

What do you remember about your most recent sparring session?

It was last March. I was getting ready for the European title [fight, won in March against France’s Thomas Faure in Paris, via stoppage]. I always call him all the time to come and help me spar. I can’t really remember it, because we’ve done so many rounds, but it’s always beneficial. 

One thing I remember about that spar – he was trying to mimic [Faure], regardless of whether he’s going to be getting a hiding or it wasn’t working for him, he was actually trying to emulate my opponent. He was switching [stances] as well. Which is good. You can’t aks for anything better. Some people just come in and do their own thing; he will actually try and emulate the person I’m trying to fight, which is really, really good and helps me out a lot.

Do you think either of you ever held anything back?

Nah. Nah. We was still always sparring like how we spar. Even though he said that we still didn’t think it would actually happen. If it did, definitely far, far down the line – not as quick as how it has now.

We’ve sparred so many times, and he knows me as well as I know him; [in our most recent sparring sessions] he’s still able to get success, and I’m still able to get success. The fact we know each other – it doesn’t cancel itself out. We’re both quite a force. You know Mike Tyson’s got a crazy uppercut but how are you going to be able to evade it? We’re still both going to get hit and have our successes. It’s going to be who’s willing to go to that dark place and willing to stay there.

To what extent has your fight become a talking point among your social circles?

I’m guessing it has been but I try and take myself out of that. I’m the one fighting so I try to keep myself in my own little bubble and own little world and prepare for the fight and focus on the process of getting there. But I know, probably, there’s loads of WhatsApp groups – everyone talking, definitely. But I’ll stay out of it.

It’s a big fight. Even when I go places – I might go to a petrol station and a random I maybe don’t even know, “I can’t wait for your fight – get the win; you’re representing Lewisham [south London]” so I know amongst our circle it’s definitely going to be the talk of the town. 

Even just the other day, and I had to stop at roadworks, and the workers was like, “I can’t wait for your fight – you better win”. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” And I’ve got tinted windows; I don’t even know how he even saw me through the car [laughs]. 

You know as well as I do that [as soon as the fight was postponed from October], “Did he really have an injury? What happened?” That was definitely another talking point – I guess it made for even more chitter-chatter. Not even just amongst them, but in the boxing world – people are still debating whether I did get injured now. I know a lot of my mates have probably been arguing with a few people – it probably makes it more personal for them – but that’s boxing. It’s not anything new. I just didn’t think it would happen to me, or at the time that it’d be such a serious injury. I’ve fought before with injuries and never thought I’d have to pull out of a fight, but when you get told you’re not fit to box, it hits home for real. I wanted to go through my whole career and say, “I’ve never pulled out with an injury” – have that as one of my mantras; that tough-man mentality; especially a big fight like this – but fate has its own plans. Boxers have too much of an ego sometimes; we need to be saved from ourselves at times. I was at a back specialist with [promoter] Ben Shalom and a doctor, and if it weren’t for them I’d have tried to box. “You’re not fit to box, so you can’t.”

How is your back now?

It’s very good. I feel confident – I feel really confident. When you get an injury sometimes it can play in your head, but I’m really pleased that I’m in a space where I’m not even thinking about it or how good it feels. It’s also helped me strengthen other [technical and physical] areas that I probably neglected prior to the injury. 

The Wednesday [prior to fight week], I had a spar, and got the injury but didn’t think much of it. “Maybe it’s just a little niggle – let’s see how it goes.” Buddy was like, “You’ve done all your sparring anyway; you don’t need to spar again; just go and rest”. For a good four or five days – my weight’s good as well so I don’t need to lose loads – I rested. I got back in the gym on Monday, started warming up, and it felt really, really bad. Those five days that I didn’t train I was on some real strong painkillers, so it made me feel it’s going to get better. But when I got back in the gym and started doing the littlest work it just seized up. That was on Monday. Tuesday we went to a back specialist with my promoter, trainer; everyone went. They were like, “Yeah, it’s done”.

How did you feel when the fight was first suggested to you?

It was put to me like, “Josh wants the fight – this is the fight we want next”. There was no, “How do you feel?” That’s why I was a bit taken aback. “Oh, okay.” There was no, “Guys, how would you like to fight each other?” I remember, after his last fight [via points in May over Pawel Stepien of Poland], we even spoke. [Buatsi said], “I might be fighting this person; that person”. Then when it was just put to me like that, I was like, “Okay – let’s get it on then”. I was thinking, “Really? Are you sure?” [Previously] there wasn’t no feeling of we’re going to fight at all. I was meant to have a defense of my European title in July, and then they said, “Yeah, the next fight is Josh – that’s what he wants next”. It was put to me like he aksed for the fight. Like he wanted to fight – he aksed for the fight.

Not betrayed, but it’s after the whole speculation of him turning down the fight with [Dmitry] Bivol, and I thought, “Okay – does he think I’m an easy touch or something?” I got a little bit insulted. “He wants to fight me because he thinks I’m easier? Fuck it – let’s go.” That’s how I felt at first. For a while I thought, “Yeah, watch – he thinks I’m easy pickings”; “He’s trying to pick an easy route to the top”, but as the build-up has gone on I’m actually, “Yeah, this is a sick fight and a good time in both of our careers”. He’s being calculated. I don’t knock him for it, it’s a business, but I’m different – I go for the challenges. “If I want to claim myself the best I’ve got to beat the best”, and some people put him as the best in the country.  

How was being in camp with Callum Smith, who recently challenged Artur Beterbiev?

It was really good. I enjoyed watching him prepare – he’s another fighter who’s been there, done it. Unified [super middleweight] champion. Been where I’m trying to get to. You can chip their brains away; aks them for advice, and he’s a cool down-to-earth guy as well. We didn’t spar. 

What about being in camp with Beterbiev when he was preparing for Joe Smith Jr.?

“This guy can actually box and got good footwork.” You don’t see him dancing around; to the naked eye he might seem like a come-forward, flat-footed fighter, but he’s not. He’s very calculated, and what makes it even worse is he doesn’t even think he’s a good boxer. Every time we used to be in camp he’d be, “One day I’ll be able to box good, Dan”. He always used to say that to me. 

He’s a very funny guy. Always on jokes. He’d make a joke with a serious face and then just burst out laughing. He was very polite as well. He was a nice guy. Second to none [in his professionalism and work ethic]. Watching him prepare and get ready, you see why he’s got such longevity; they’re so meticulous up there in Canada, him and his trainer Marc Ramsay. They’re meticulous; they study their opponents. I remember doing tech[nical] spars and if you do something similar or very good to their opponent they’ll want you to keep doing that, and they’ll go rounds and rounds, going over it and trying to work [moves] out.

Azeez has served as sparring partner for both Callum Smith and Artur Beterbiev, who he greatly admires. Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images

If and when Beterbiev fights Dmitry Bivol, who wins, and why?

I’d have to go with Beterbiev. If it was still 15 rounds, like back in the day, one million percent Beterbiev’s winning. But 12 rounds, Bivol might be able to scrap it out, you know what I mean? Beterbiev’s power is a huge factor. Trust me, the guy really hits, and on top of it he can box – it’s not like [Deontay] Wilder, where Wilder’s got the power but, technically, is he really good? Beterbiev’s got footwork; he can box; he’s got defense. On top of the power. It’s a bit scary. He’s had over 300 amateur bouts; boxed at the top end in the amateurs. He’s got a very underrated ring IQ – that was one of the main things [I saw] when I went and sparred him.

You, Buatsi, Smith and Anthony Yarde are Britain’s leading light heavyweights. Which of you is the best?

That’s up for debate. February 3 you’ll get your answer.

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