Joshua Buatsi-Ryan Ford joins Lomachenko-Campbell undercard

The August 31st Vasiliy Lomachenko-Luke Campbell show in London has received an extra shot of domestic name value two weeks out, as 2016 English Olympian Joshua Buatsi will face MMA veteran Ryan Ford in the fourth defense of his regional WBA light heavyweight title.

The 26-year-old Buatsi (11-0, 9 KO), who claimed bronze in Rio while becoming the only light heavyweight to score more than one (T)KO, has wasted no time as a professional, spending no longer than three months (and one day, to be precise) between fights since his 2017 pro debut. He’s scored six consecutive knockouts, among them a four-round demolition of former world title challenger Marco Antonio Periban in June.

Ford (16-4, 11 KO) went 22-5 as a mixed martial artist, ultimately retiring after a 2014 loss to former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields and returning to the squared circle. He got off to a 14-0 start, most notably taking a technical decision over onetime world title challenger Robert Berridge, but hit a wall when the competition improved. His current 2-4 skid includes losses to Fedor Chudinov, Andrey Sirotkin, Avni Yildrim, and Nick Hannig.

To his credit, he’s never been stopped by strikes in MMA or boxing, so Buatsi does have a chance to score himself a unique accolade.

Other fights on the card include Hughie Fury vs. Alexander Povetkin, Charlie Edwards vs. Julio Cesar Martinez, and Joe Cordina vs. Gavin Gwynne.