British light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi has signed a promotional deal with Frank Warren's Queennsberry.

The 32-year-old is a former British, Commonwealth and European 175-pound titleholder but suffered his first ever professional defeat at the hands of Callum Smith earlier this year.

The bout, which took place on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II, was a Fight of the Year contender, but it was Liverpudlian Smith who walked away with the unanimous decision victory.

Buatsi, who began his career with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, had been fighting under Ben Shalom's Boxxer banner on Sky Sports since early 2023.

With Boxxer's broadcasting future up in the air, following the end of its deal with Sky, Buatsi, whose final fight under Shalom was against Smith in February, has chosen to join Warren.

“After speaking with multiple promoters, Queensberry has a plan I'm comfortable with,” explained Buatsi. “I’m a British fighter, and the support I get from UK fans means everything.

“There’s nothing like fighting in front of a home crowd - the energy, the passion, it drives me. With Queensberry, I’ve got a team that understands that and backs me properly here in the UK.

“At the same time, their international links mean I can still make moves in the US and globally. Most importantly, they’ve got the right plan for my career - not just big fights, but the right fights, at the right time as I'm on the journey to become a World Champion.”

Queensberry have also signed European light heavyweight champion Bradley Rea, who recently picked up the EBU title with a split decision win over Shakan Pitters.

'The Sting', a former middleweight, lost the English to Tyler Denny in 2022 and has since worked his way back by fighting on small-hall shows, filling out into a 175-pound frame at the same time.

Now the Mancunian will be fighting regularly on a major broadcaster once again.

“I am excited because I feel like I am finally at the stage I belong at,” said Rea. “I’ve been wanting to be on these big shows, big platforms and in fights against big names.

“I feel like Frank and Queensberry can deliver that for me. So, I am excited about the future, definitely. This is the place to be, especially for the light heavyweights. I want to be in the big fights against the best names, and this is part of the reason why I was so eager to sign with Frank.

“He can deliver the big fights, and he can deliver the big names.”

The Ring understands that both Buatsi and Rea will feature on a Queensberry card pegged to take place on November 1.

Frank Warren said: “Brad is fully deserving of this opportunity to shine on a major platform in DAZN. I greatly admire the way he stuck at it and kept himself ready when nothing really was happening for him, through no fault of his own.

“I am delighted to bring Joshua on board with us at Queensberry and to showcase him on DAZN. The light heavyweights possess so much quality, and Josh will be a major mover in the division and right in the mix for world title contention."