A light heavyweight bout is official for the undercard of the Saturday, Aug. 31, lightweight title unification clash between Vasily Lomachenko and Luke Campbell, as Joshua Buatsi and Ryan Ford meet at the O2 Arena in London.
Buatsi (11-0, 9 KOs) returns to the ring after competing on the Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr. card and scoring a sensational four-round TKO victory over Marco Antonio Peribán.
The bronze medalist from the 2016 Summer Olympics respects what Ford has accomplished in his combat sports career but plans on adding the former MMA fighter to the hit list.
"I'm fighting a tough, durable opponent on August 31 in the form of Ryan Ford," Buatsi said in a press release. "He's never been stopped in his 20 professional fights, and he's got some good experience against some top names. He's an ex-MMA fighter so he'll know how to handle himself.
"If I can become the first fighter to stop him, then I'll be very happy. As always, it's about getting the win at all costs. I'm there to get the job done, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."
During his mixed martial career, Ford (16-4, 11 KOs) complied a 22-5 record before leaving the sport for good in 2014. While he competed in MMA, Ford took one boxing fight before deciding to focus on MMA solely. After making the full-time move to the sweet science, Ford won his first 13 contests. But the 37-year-old has fallen on hard times as of late, going 2-4 in his last six.
Here is the updated Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Luke Campbell card:
- Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Luke Campbell for Lomachenko's WBO/WBA and vacant WBC lightweight title
- Hughie Fury vs. Alexander Povetkin; Heavyweights
- Charlie Edwards vs. Julio Cesar Martinez for Edwards' WBC flyweight title
- Joshua Buatsi vs. Ryan Ford, 10 rounds; light heavyweight
- Joe Cordina vs. Gavin Gwynne; lightweight
- Savannah Marshall vs. TBA; female super middleweights