Joshua Buatsi’s fourth-round knockout win over Frenchman Daniel Blenda Dos Santos at the weekend in Manchester has cleared the path for more high profile bouts before the end of the year.

By the win, he has also retained his status as WBA International Light Heavyweight champion and is expected to return to the ring in July but no names of possible opponents have been put out yet.

“I am just going to make sure that I am ready and once the new date is announced I will be good to go. I am a nice guy outside the ring but when the fight is on it’s strictly business.

It was a true spectacle of entertainment, but his show of sportsmanship towards his opponent was what did it for the fans and the media. Buatsi reached out to Dos Santos who had burst into tears following the humiliating knockdown to console him to win the admiration of many who watched the televised bout.

Celebrated ring announcer Michael Buffer took to his twitter handle to commend the Ghanaian, “Joshua Buatsi is an outstanding fighter but also a respectful, compassionate man with a true understanding of sportsmanship. We can look forward to great things from this young man,” the post read.

Buatsi, by his performance, last Saturday ensured a smooth fourteenth win in his professional career and improved the journey towards landing a major world title shot. Added to that, he will have higher rankings as he is already established in the current top 10 of all the major sanctioning bodies.

Buatsi, who spotted black trunks with a lining of the Ghanaian royal cloth kente, gave an early signal of what was to come to the fans when he struck the Frenchman with his trademark right - the last of a three-punch combination, to send him down.

The latter, who had fallen on his face, did not provide much trouble for the hard-hitting Ghanaian but a few straight headshots. Buatsi kept his composure after the knockdown and was consistent with his ring movement, chasing Dos Santos with pace and switching his left jab into hooks. He unleashed his heavy in overhead format to keep his opponent neutral

This round was following the first which saw the Ghanaian pick up some good points with his active left jab after consistently stalking the Frenchman around the ring. It was swift and effective, aided by his slight reach advantage.

In the third, Buatsi assumed a hunger-driven attack mode which saw him pin Dos Santos to the corner with some heavy follow up combinations from his left and right. The Ghanaian had injected more urgency into his attack and landed sharper connecting hooks to his new target area - the Frenchman’s body.

With 32 seconds to end the round, Dos Santos pushed Buatsi onto the canvas. This seems to have enraged the young Ghanaian, who needed Referee Victor Loughlin’s break to calm down and end the round.

In the fourth, the Frenchman showed glimpses of wanting to recover but this was quickly shot down after Buatsi pinned him to the corner and delivered a two-punch combination with his right to send him crushing down. This is the 12th career knockout win for the Ghanaian who won bronze for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

It also marks his first fight and win under seasoned trainer Virgil Hunter, who guided the career of former world champion, Andre Ward, who retired undefeated in 32 fights with the WBA IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles.