MANCHESTER, England – Promoter Frank Warren says he will do everything in his power to ensure that the winner of Saturday night’s fight between Joshua Buatsi and Zach Parker gets a shot at a light heavyweight world title early in the new year.

Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs) will be making his debut under the Queensberry Promotions banner, but rather than being handed a one-sided showcase, Ring Magazine’s No.5 rated light heavyweight will hit the ground running and take on his new promotional stablemate, Parker (26-1, 18 KOs).

DAZN will broadcast the fight exclusively from Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

Warren is a believer in Buatsi’s ability but was also impressed by the heart and determination the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist showed during his February setback against Callum Smith. Although he lost his perfect record and WBO interim title, Buatsi more than played his part in a thrilling 12-round battle.

Warren thinks that the 32-year-old may need to dig deep into those reserves again this weekend.

“He's a brave guy,” Warren told The Ring. “In his last fight against Callum, I thought it was quite a close fight until towards the end. He’s gutsy. He showed a lot of balls in the fight, and he's going to do the same in this fight because Zach, I know, believes he can win the fight, and I know he's up for it.

“This is an important fight for both of them. This is like a crossroads fight for both of them. The winner's going to go on in a big fight early in 2026, and the loser is going to have to regroup, and they'll know what's on the line.

“Now, this is a chance for him (Buatsi) to sparkle and to show what he's all about.”

If Buatsi is at the start of his journey with Queensberry, Parker is at a crucial stage of his own.

The 31-year-old has been with the promotional company since 2021. He burst onto the scene at 168 pounds, and a string of impressive knockouts earned him the top spot in the WBO super middleweight rankings.

Back in November 2022, Parker faced his fellow Brit, John Ryder, in a fight for the WBO Interim title. Parker broke his hand early in the fight and was forced to withdraw after four rounds. Ryder went on to secure a shot at then-undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.

Since then, Parker has strung together four consecutive wins, but hasn’t been able to reignite the same level of excitement.

He has allowed his broad frame to grow into the light heavyweight division, and sits at No.3 in the WBO rankings, but is in desperate need of an eye-catching performance and a world level win.

Warren has given him another chance to decide his own destiny.

“He was ranked number one and I really thought he was going to go places,” he said. “He bust his hand and, since then, wasn’t the same. He’s moved up a weight, he’s won fights, but he's not won how I’d have wanted him to win.

“This one now, this is it.”

The fight between Buatsi and Parker tops the bill, but they will be supported by three other meaningful light heavyweight clashes, each made at different levels.

Brad Rea will defend his European title against former world title challenger Lyndon Arthur. Former English champion Troy Jones will face fan favourite Liam Cameron, and local rivals Billy Deniz and Ezra Aranyeka will settle a long running feud.

Fans will be able to compare the fighters and think about future match-ups between the winners and losers.

In the past, Warren has enjoyed success with his title-laden Magnificent Seven series of shows, and this could be another unusual way of getting fans invested in fighters and their stories.

“Yeah, it can be and, by the way, we're going to do a Magnificent Seven [soon],” he said. “But that’s what I like about it. There's a story there. Look what's happened with the heavyweights. It's alive.

“It’s brilliant. You’ve got people talking, seeing what’s going down and seeing the best fight the best.”