Joshua Buatsi vs Zach Parker Preview Nov. 1St, 2025
The WBO International Light Heavyweight Title is up for grabs in Manchester, England this Saturday, Nov. 1st as Joshua Buatsi of Ghana defends takes on Zach Parker of England. The 10-rounder can be seen live on DAZN in most nations. Buatsi, who fights out of London, England last fought in February when he lost his WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Belt to Callum Smith via a 12-round unanimous decision in an entertaining slugfest for his lone career defeat. Buatsi had beaten Willy Hutchinson via a split decision after dropping him in the sixth and ninth rounds to win the interim belt five months earlier. Hutchinson also had a point deducted in the seventh round for headbutting. Buatsi beat Dan Azeez by a wide 12-round unanimous decision in his previous outing to capture the British and Commonwealth Belts. Parker last saw action in February as well when he beat Mickael Diallo by 10-round unanimous decision.
Buatsi vs Parker Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Zach Parker +373
- Joshua Buatsi -550
My Pick
The 32-year-old Buatsi enters the fight with a fine record of 19-1 with 13 Ko’s and has pretty good power in his punches as 68.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but he has gone the distance in his last five fights. He’s boxed 123 rounds as a pro since making his debut in 2017. Buatsi enjoyed a successful amateur career as he won a gold medal at the 2014 and 2015 English ABA National Championships and a bronze at the 2015 European Amateur Boxing Championships.
He also won the 2015 Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the 2016 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament. Buatsi then went on to capture a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since turning pro he’s won the WBA International, BBBoC British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles along with the WBO Interim World version.
Buatsi measures 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 74.5-inch reach but hasn’t really faced any top-grade world-class contenders as of yet other than Callum smith. However has has beaten some pretty good boxers such as Willy Hutchinson, Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Renold Quinlon, Liam Conroy, Marco Antonio Periban, Ryan Ford, Marko Calic and Ricards Bolotniks. He needs to just keep on beating whoever is put in front of him though and rebound from his recent loss to Smith if he hopes to eventually land a shot at a full world title.
The 31-year-old Parker carries around an impressive mark of 26-1 with 18 Ko’s and has fought 134 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015. He lost to Buatsi as an amateur in the quarter-finals at the 2014 English National Championships. Since turning pro he’s captured the WBO International and the vacant British Super Middleweight Titles. His lone defeat came at the hands of John Ryder in a shot at the vacant WBO Interim Super Middleweight Belt in November 2022 when he had to retire after four rounds due to a broken hand.
He stepped up in class against Ryder as his biggest wins before meeting him came against against Bradley Pryce, Luke Blackledge, Darryl Williams, Rohan Murdock and Vaughn Alexander. Parker measures 6-feet-tall with a 74-inch reach so gives up 2.5-inches in height to Buatsi and a minimal half-inch in reach. He also has impressive power in his arsenal as 69.2 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including seven of his last nine. Parker’s a solid boxer with power but is probably more suited the European stage rather than taking on world-class opponents and also has a win over Tyron Zeuge.
Prediction…
Buatsi has looked somewhat lethargic in several of his fights and although he picked up the pace against Callum Smith he fell short in that entertaining tilt due to Smith’s size and power. He has the skills to bounce back against Parker though as long as he shows he wants it and takes the initiative. I’m expecting a pretty close fight here but believe if Buatsi is at his best he should do just enough to pull out a win.
Buatsi will need to be at his best.
Play: Buatsi -550 @ BetOnline.ag
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Joshua Buatsi betting • Zach Parker betting