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Joshua Buatsi and Jean Pascal might soon face each other in the boxing ring.
The light-heavyweight division is in flux. While Dmitry Bivol currently holds the WBA Super light-heavyweight title, every other championship is currently held by Artur Beterbiev. The former isn't currently booked, while the latter will face Anthony Yarde later this year.
Beyond hoping for a unification bout between Beterbiev and Bivol, there's not much going on at the top of the division. However, the 175-pound division will soon have another big matchup on the books, as the IBF have now set up a title eliminator.
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The title is currently held by the aforementioned Beterbiev. If he defeats Yarde later this year, he will likely meet either Joshua Buatsi or Jean Pascal next. As first reported by Mike Coppinger of ESPN Ringside, the two have now been ordered to fight by the IBF.
In a comment given to ESPN by Pascal's advisor, Greg Leon, he revealed that they're looking forward to working with Buatsi and Eddie Hearn. The head of Matchroom was hoping to secure a bout with Bivol, but that seems unlikely as of now.
According to Coppinger, Leon stated:
"I look forward to making the fight happen with Eddie Hearn, he's already been informed of our interest."
See Coppinger's tweet about Buatsi vs. Pascal below:
Will Joshua Buatsi defeat Jean Pascal?
The light-heavyweight showdown between Joshua Buatsi and Jean Pascal is likely to be a change of the guard matchup.
The 29-year-old Joshua Buatsi is seen as the next big thing in the 175-pound division. A former Olympian, his career has been guided perfectly by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. His last outing saw him dominate Craig Richards in May this year.
Buatsi clearly has all the talent in the world to be champion, but he's not faced a true veteran of the sport yet. It ends with a matchup with Pascal, who's a former champion and one of the best light-heavyweights of the last decade.
However, Buatsi is catching Pascal at the perfect time. The Canadian just returned after a three-year absence from the ring earlier this year. Time away wasn't something the 39-year-old wanted, but was forced to take after testing positive for steroids.
Now is the time for Buatsi to prove that he's the future of the division. He'll likely be a favorite over the aging and declining Pascal, but one can never overlook the grizzled veteran.
