Joshua Buatsi is set to resume his career.

The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist for Great Britain tipped the scales at 174 pounds during the official pre-fight weigh-in Friday afternoon at Kings Suite in Hilton Birmingham Metropole. Buatsi faces Poland’s Pawel Stepien, who checked in right at the 175-pound light heavyweight limit for their scheduled ten-round Sky Sports main event Saturday evening from Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.

A few words were exchanged during the obligatory post weigh-in staredown between the main event participants, though it did not devolve into anything physical.

Buatsi (16-0, 13KOs) ends a 50-week inactive stretch, his longest since the pandemic. Much of the time out of the ring was attributed to a promotional dispute with Matchroom Boxing, from whom he split to eventually join Ben Shalom’s BOXXER.

The stall out included a pair of intriguing matchups that fell through the cracks—an IBF light heavyweight title eliminator versus former lineal champ Jean Pascal and a shot at WBA 175-pound titlist Dmitry Bivol. Buatsi was last seen in a twelve-round victory over Craig Richards last May 21 at The O2 in London.

Stepien (18-0-1, 12KOs) fights on the road for the first time as a pro. It comes on his second try, as the 32-year-old from Szczecin, Poland was previously due to face former WBA super middleweight titlist Callum Smith on March 11 in Liverpool. Smith was forced to withdraw due to injury, which prompted Stepien’s team to look elsewhere for a sizeable payday which led to the showdown with Buatsi.

The evening’s co-feature marks a watershed moment for British boxing. The nation’s Lonsdale (British) belt will be at stake in a women’s bout for the first time in its 114-year history.

Vying for the crown, 2020 Olympic Gold medalist Lauren Price (3-0, 1KO) meets Wolverhampton’s Kirstie Bavington (7-3-2, 2KOs) in a scheduled ten-round welterweight contest. Price—a gifted 28-year-old southpaw from Wales who only turned pro last June 11—was 146.3 pounds, while the 30-year-old Bavington was 146 pounds.

Below are the weights for the rest of the undercard.

Tyler Denny (16-2-3, 0KOs), Rowley Regis, West Midlands, 159.3 pounds vs. Macaulay McGowan (17-3-2,3 KOs), Manchester, Lancashire, 159 pounds—10 rounds, middleweight 

Ben Whittaker (2-0, 1KO), West Bromwich, West Midlands, 174.3 pounds vs. Jordan Grant (6-3, 0KOs), Hamilton, Scotland, 175 pounds—6 rounds, light heavyweight 

Sean McComb (15-1, 5KOs), Belfast, Northern Ireland, 139.3 pounds vs.  Kaisee Benjamin (16-2-1, 6KOs), Birmingham, 140 pounds—10 rounds, junior welterweight 

Shakan Pitters (17-2, 6KOs), Birmingham, 179 pounds vs. Joel McIntyre (20-6, 5KOs), Portsmouth, Hampshire, 178.3 pounds—8 rounds, light heavyweight

Cori Gibbs (17-1, 3KOs), Birmingham, 137 pounds vs. Jimmy First (14-1, 4KOs), Brighouse, Yorkshire, 136.3 pounds—8 rounds, lightweight

Danny Quartermaine (8-0, 2KOs), Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, 131 pounds vs. Christian Flores (14-24-2, 12KOs), Culiacan, Mexico, 134.3 pounds—4 rounds, junior lightweight

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox