Joshua Buatsi has received a boost from an unlikely source ahead of his upcoming fight with Zach Parker.

The light heavyweight contenders will meet in a 10-round fight at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on November 1. DAZN will broadcast the action.

In February, Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs) took on former super middleweight world champion, Callum Smith.

With his back to the wall, Smith rolled back the years. After 12 of the most exciting rounds of 2025, Buatsi lost a unanimous decision and his WBO interim 175lb title.

He also lost his undefeated record.

A first defeat can cause a fighter to inwardly question everything from their preparation and support team to their ability and desire.

Buatsi, 32, is a strong minded individual but a bit of reassurance is always nice, no matter where it comes from.

“What's interesting is that I met a guy on a train and he said 'Callum just won Josh' and I said, 'Yeah, I think he won,'" Buatsi told Queensberry.

“He said, “Because he [Smith] had lost before and he knew it was his last shot, that gave him the extra push.”

“So, now knowing what defeat tastes like, I know that if I'm in a close fight, I'm hoping it'll push me forward but there's a lot of work to be done which is what I'm away at the moment doing.”

Beating the WBO’s No. 4 ranked light heavyweight, Parker, wont be easy. The 31-year-old from Derby also knows what it feels like to lose and will be desperate to secure the biggest win of his career.

At his best, Parker (26-1, 18 KOs) is a talented operator who has struggled to build any real momentum since a broken hand curtailed his WBO interim super middleweight title fight with John Ryder back in 2022.

He made the move to 175lbs earlier this year and - just a couple of weeks before Buatsi boxed Smith - he outpointed late substitute, Mickael Diallo, over 10-rounds.

Despite the loss to Smith, Buatsi’s reputation, amateur pedigree and undoubted quality ensure that he enters the fight with Parker as a sizeable favourite and observers will expect him to not only win but to do so in a fashion that puts him directly back into the picture for a world title shot.

None of that matters to Buatsi who is solely focused on getting his career back on track.

‘No. I don't feel stuff like that,” he said.

“I always feel my point is to win. If I had beaten Smith, they can talk about all the points they want, but he won the fight, so you move on.

“The point is always to win first and foremost. All the other stuff comes with it, but the point is to win.”