Boxxer imminently hope to agree terms with Queensberry Promotions for a fight between Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde.

A contest between the rival light heavyweights has, after one between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, perhaps become the most sought-after in British boxing, and after Buatsi was ringside for Yarde’s stoppage in February of Marko Nikolic, optimism is growing that a date will be confirmed for June.

It is on June 1 when the undisputed light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol is expected to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and at a time when speculation persists about a fight in a London football stadium between Buatsi and Yarde, 

Ben Shalom, of Buatsi’s promoters Boxxer, said: “I think we are sitting down with George [Warren, of Queensberry, this] week. They are trying to figure out their side [of the deal] and we are ready to go. For Buatsi and us, everything has been agreed upon, and we are ready for the fight. 

“We are just waiting on the other side, but I believe it will happen. That is where we stand. 

“We have been in talks with George and Queensberry for a while now. They know what we want from the fight, and we have agreed on what that looks like. So we are now waiting on Queensberry and Anthony, but I believe it will happen. 

“Everybody wants it to happen – both fighters and promoters. So we are just waiting for the news to come back in the next week or so. 

“The fight has the potential to be announced next week, but we are waiting on Queensberry. We want the fight to happen; both promoters want it to happen and I believe it will get done. 

“We have a couple of options. Definitely in London and a co-promotion. 

“Queensberry will have their ideas and we will have our own ideas. I am sure we will come to an agreement, but it is yet to be decided.”

Buatsi, at 31 a year younger than Yarde, recorded perhaps the finest victory of his career when the week before Yarde-Nikolic he earned a unanimous decision over Dan Azeez. A week later Frank Warren spoke of securing a stadium for a fight between them.

“It is looking like it will go after Beterbiev-Bivol,” Shalom continued. “I would like to explore the potential to go outdoors. We saw with Buatsi and Azeez – it did so well that it showed that the London boxing scene is thriving. Buatsi-Yarde is a fight that boxing fans have talked about for five, six, seven, and eight years. 

“It is a huge fight, so we would want it to be held in a spectacular arena, but the 02 [Arena] is also fantastic. Let’s see because I don’t want to say too much like everyone else and hope the fight happens and gets announced as soon as possible.

“Everyone has seen the phenomenal work of Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua – activity is key. [Buatsi] needs to stay active even if the Yarde fight does not happen, for whatever reason. 

“He is in a great place and that Azeez experience and the fight was such a big night for him. It was a big experience for him in front of a sold-out arena, live on Sky Sports in a fight which people were interested in. It was a big moment to catapult him into the biggest night of his career [against Yarde]. It was great preparation. 

“I do believe that he [Buatsi] is the man in this country in the light-heavyweight division and the man to beat because I do think he is that good, and he will show that.

“The difficulty with Yarde is that we have seen him do phenomenally well in those world-title nights but come out second best. Outside of those fights, has he been fighting at the level that Buatsi has? Not always. 

“So there are question marks around both of them. You have to credit Yarde because he has fought at that world level and he will be thinking that he brings that experience into the fight. Buatsi hasn’t got that yet.

“That’s a different thing in the armoury. [Buatsi] needs to know where he is weak and where he is strong and how to improve without being tested at the level Yarde has been at. 

“So he [Yarde] will be coming in extremely confident, having been in some dark places [in the ring] where Buatsi hasn’t yet. 

“That is what it will take on the night. Both of them have grit and heart, but Buatsi will have to think that he is the better boxer – the more talented boxer. He will think that he is a level above Anthony Yarde but without the experience. Experience is what Anthony Yarde holds in his favour, but it is a fight that no one can call.”