What’s next for Dan Azeez after Paris and European title win?

Boxxer’s Paris show saw Londoner Dan Azeez (19-0, 13 KOs) take on Thomas Faure (21-5-1, 2 KOs) on Saturday night for the EBU European light heavyweight title.

The referee waved the bout off in the final round after Azeez landed multiple right hands that rocked the Frenchman. Faure protested the stoppage however the referee intervened at the right time.

Despite been the smaller man , Azeez successfully established his jab early on and proved to be hard work for Faure for the majority of the fight leading up to the late stoppage.

With Azeez dominating the light heavyweight scene domestically and now moving up to European level, fights with the elite world light heavyweight contenders are certainly not far from reach in an exciting division.

Domestically, a clash with fellow undefeated Londoner Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13 KOs) would be a great test for Azeez. On the other hand with the pair been friendly with each other and Azeez using Buatsi as a sparring partner in his camp, the fight would seem unlikely. However, when questioned by Sky in a recent interview Buatsi has actually welcomed the fight.

“I think we’re both at the point where we say look if the moneys good we’ll fight. People will be entertained , it’s boxing. It’s never personal with these guys and specifically with Dan!” Buatsi said.

“For me I’m good at putting certain things aside, but when I step in that ring I always know what time it is”

Another domestic money fight for Azeez is with Anthony Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) who has just fallen short after challenging knockout artist Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) for the IBF, WBC and WBO world heavyweight titles in January. With both men been in their fighting prime, this also offers an exciting clash. Azeez has already called out Yarde stating- “he should come and fight me”. With Azeez sparring the very tough champion Beterbiev out in Canada in the past he is likely to be confident going into a potential fight with Yarde.

Whichever route Azeez takes after his victory the only way is up , been ranked 10th in the world by The Ring magazine with only elite fighters placed above him. However, the most appealing fights for British boxing fans are likely to be Yarde and Buatsi which are intriguing domestic clashes. These will both hopefully take place in the near future and are ultimately fights that British boxing needs- to identify who is the best in Britain at light heavyweight.