Ricards Bolotniks: I’m fully focused on Joshua Buatsi

Ricards Bolotniks has a big chance on Saturday, facing Joshua Buatsi in the main event of Matchroom’s Fight Camp finale for 2021, an intriguing matchup pitting a blue chip prospect with strong backing against an underdog who has battled his way into a shot.

“I’ve wanted this fight for a long time, and I’ve always thought that we would fight so all my training over the last six months has been for this man,” said Bolotniks. “It’s going to be a hard fight and a long fight, but I’ve done the 12 rounds before and he hasn’t yet. I think that I can beat him over the full distance but I want it to be a street fight, a boxing match, I want to show everything that I have got so that I can go back to the dressing room afterwards and say, ‘Yes, we did it’, I want that feeling.”

Bolotniks (18-5-1, 8 KO) has gone on a great run, winning MTK Global’s Golden Contract tournament with victories over Steven Ward, Hosea Burton, and Serge Michel. He started his pro career just 4-3-1 from 2013-15, and has fought his way into the conversation at 175 lbs.

Buatsi (14-0, 12 KO) has had the hype and won an Olympic bronze medal in 2016, and he’s Bolotniks’ sole focus right now.

“I only think about Joshua, so I don’t want to think about the future. I am well ranked in the governing bodies so of course I look at the champions and the belts, and my wife likes the WBC belt, she wants me to win that! But we need to do our job on Saturday night and then the future will sort itself out.”