Joshua Buatsi to face Maxim Vlasov on Parker-Chisora 2 undercard

Joshua Buatsi will take a notable step up in competition, as he’s officially set to face former world title challenger Maxim Vlasov in the co-feature bout of the Parker-Chisora 2 card on Dec. 18 on DAZN.

The show will also feature an intriguing super middleweight showdown between Carlos Gongora and Lerrone Richards, plus more.

Buatsi (15-0, 13 KO) looks like a rising contender, but Vlasov (45-4, 26 KO) will definitely be his best opponent to date, a signal that Matchroom Boxing are ready to step the 28-year-old up and maybe even look for a world title fight in 2022.

The 35-year-old Vlasov was tentatively set to fight in Russia on Nov. 27, so he’s been training and getting ready to get out there, this isn’t “short notice” for him, and this is a good fight. Vlasov lost a controversial majority decision to Joe Smith Jr in Oklahoma earlier this year in a vacant WBO title fight.

A win for either man sets them up for a possible title fight next year.

Flying under the radar a bit here will be the fight between Gongora (20-0, 15 KO) and Richards (15-0, 3 KO), which is another good matchup. The 29-year-old Richards is the European super middleweight champ, while Gongora, 32, has the lightly-recognized IBO title, so both will be taking this as a world title fight, and however you slice it, it’s a good matchup between talented fighters. Gongora has good back-to-back wins over Ali Akhmedov and Christopher Pearson, while Richards has looked good against Tommy Langford, Lennox Clarke, and Giovanni De Carolis in recent outings.

Also on the card:

• “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Jack Cullen (20-2-1, 9 KO) will take on Emre Cukur (17-1, 3 KO) for the now-vacant European title at 168 lbs, with Richards vacating.
• Zelfa Barrett (26-1, 16 KO) faces Bruno Tarimo (26-2-2, 5 KO) in an IBF eliminator at 130 lbs.
• Prospects David Nyika (2020 Olympic bronze medalist from New Zealand), Sandy Ryan, Jordan Thompson, and Rhiannon Dixon will be in action.