Craig Richards is hoping to be snapped up by Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window and team up with Eberechi Eze after first knocking out Joshua Buatsi at the O2 on Saturday ight.
Boxer Richards and Palace midfielder Eze have traded sports in recent weeks – Richards taking a penalty at Selhurst Park and Eze lacing up his gloves in the gym for a sparring session.
Discussing the link-up, the London fighter explained: “He goes to my church and I was talking about when Patrick Vieira signs me. He said he’d love to try boxing and came up the following Tuesday. He’s a good fighter, he picked it up quite well, he must have a brain for it.”
As for who was better at the other’s sport, he insisted it was no contest. “I told him I’m going to be Palace’s star striker when I get signed!” he said.
Eze is hoping to be at the O2 ahead of Palace’s last game of the season at home to Manchester United the following afternoon with Richards planning to be at the game post-fight.
The bout is a south-London domestic rivalry, Richards taking on the highly rated Buatsi, an Olympic medallist who beat Richards in the amateur ranks.
The pair have also sparred in the professional ranks and, ahead of their all-British match-up, Buatsi has been leaning on Anthony Joshua for advice.
“I’ve asked him a few questions,” he said. “One message I sent him was for tips on a local derby as he had one with Dillian Whyte. That was the first professional fight I saw in person and what an introduction it was to professional boxing. I won’t reveal what he said but he passed on one or two things. And you listen because he’s someone that’s been there, done it and walked the walk.”
Buatsi, undefeated in his 15 fights, is seen as the clear favourite although Richards’ stock has risen since Canelo Alvarez’s shock defeat to Dmitry Bivol. The Russian had previously inflicted one of two career defeats on Richards.
And Richards believes he remains undervalued in boxing circles in contrast to the heavily talked-up Buatsi. He said: “If you watch any of my fights listen to the commentary. If I get caught it’s like ‘oh my gosh, this ain’t great, how can he move onto the next level?’
“I watched Buatsi’s last fight and he got caught by six shots in a row and they were like this is Buatsi advertising a good chin. Come on! The guy can’t do anything wrong with these commentators. But I don’t mind, when I beat him people, will say he beat him and I did rate him so he must be good.”
