Briton Joshua Buatsi says the light-heavyweight division is “the most competitive in the world” before his return to the ring on Sunday.

It will be Buatsi’s first fight in more than a year.

“Most people won’t have heard of Calic but if you follow amateur boxing then you’ll see he’s been around for years,” he told the 5 Live Boxing podcast.

“He knows what he’s doing. He’s very experienced, and well equipped.”

‘You have to do the right things at the right time’

Buatsi, who moved to England from Ghana at the age of nine, won bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games before turning professional.

He has racked up 12 consecutive wins, 10 by knockout, but has not boxed since beating Canadian Ryan Ford in August 2019.

“This is the longest break I’ve had, for sure,” Buatsi said.

“After the Olympics I had 11 months and this has been a year and a month. It’s been a long time but I’m looking forward to it.”

Buatsi has been touted by many in boxing, including British heavyweight Anthony Joshua, as a future world champion. But he says he is “looking to learn from each fight” rather than focus too much on world-title ambitions.

Undefeated Russian duo Dmitry Bivol, the current WBA champion, and Artur Beterbiev, who holds the WBC and IBF belts, currently dominate the light-heavyweight division.

“You have to do things at the right time, gain the right experience that you need before you get into these fights,” Buatsi said.

The red flags stopping showdown with Yarde

Since turning professional in 2017, Buatsi has been linked with a clash against fellow Londoner Anthony Yarde.

Yarde, speaking after his stoppage win over Dec Spellman earlier this month, said a fight between him and Buatsi “is going to happen” at some point.

It is a match-up which British boxing fans are clamouring for, but Buatsi says the impact of Covid-19 could prevent it from taking place anytime soon.

“It’s a fight that we would want to happen with a crowd but the way things are going, you just don’t know,” he said.

Yarde is signed to Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions while Buatsi is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.

Buatsi has called for the rival promoters to work together.

“The two red flags are that we have different promoters and different TV broadcasters. It makes it hard for myself and Yarde to say ‘yeah we’re going to fight next year,'” he said.

“Eddie and Frank have to come together to the table and talk.”

Cameron set for world title challenge

On the undercard in Milton Keynes, Britain’s Chantelle Cameron will be aiming to win her first world title as she takes on Brazilian Adriana Dos Santos Araujo for the vacant WBC super-lightweight championship.

The Northampton fighter, undefeated in 12 bouts as a professional, became mandatory challenger for the title after beating Argentina’s Anahi Ester Sanchez on points in November.

Cameron has previously called out Ireland’s undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor, but has decided to challenge for a world title at the heavier weight.

“Everyone wants to fight Katie Taylor, and I would have been hanging around, waiting,” Cameron told the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel.

“I’m 29 now, and I want my own world title.”

But Cameron says she is also not looking past her next opponent, adding: “The last thing I want to do is become complacent. I know she’s tough and I know Adriana’s going to give me a hell of a fight.”

Buatsi’s opportunity & Cameron-Taylor could propel women’s boxing – analysis

BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing’s Mike Costello:

When they have that solid amateur pedigree, as Joshua Buatsi has, you wonder whether a fighter can be rushed along. There’s always that danger as a manager or promoter that if you don’t do that, they go stale.

I know with Joshua having been out of the ring for so long, there’s a case for resetting at the moment. With Bivol and Beterbiev holding the world titles, it’s very hot at the top. But the WBO title is vacant so there is an opportunity there.

If Cameron were to win her world title on Sunday, it moves her right into the mix with Katie Taylor. That could really be the kind of fight which propels women’s boxing, not just in this country but elsewhere.

If she does win, then the momentum for Taylor v Cameron will be just about unstoppable.