Willy Hutchinson was crowned WBC light-heavyweight champion after producing the performance of his career to beat Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 7 November. The judges scored the 12-round rematch 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113 for the Scot, who avenged his defeat by Buatsi in 2024 and won his first world title.

Revenge in Manchester

Hutchinson was sharper and busier, especially in the first half of the fight, while Buatsi took too long to get into the contest. The 28-year-old from Carstairs in Scotland established his jab early and frustrated Buatsi with elusive footwork, avoiding the close-range exchanges where Buatsi could unload body shots. Buatsi improved in the middle rounds and landed a good body shot in round eight, and he was busier in the later rounds, but he waited until round 11 to show his greatest intensity. Hutchinson spent most of the last round backpedalling, even celebrating before the final bell. Saturday’s contest was initially for the interim title but was upgraded to the full championship when American David Benavidez gave up the WBC belt to move up to cruiserweight, where he is a unified champion.

A childhood dream fulfilled

“I was 13 years old when I said I would be WBC champion, I wrote it in a book, and now I am world champion,” Hutchinson said in the ring after the verdict. “I should have beaten him two years ago, but we got the job done.” Hutchinson became the eighth British light-heavyweight world champion, the first since Nathan Cleverly in 2017, and Scotland’s first men’s world boxing champion since Josh Taylor’s reign at junior welterweight ended three years ago. His professional record now stands at 21 wins and two defeats, with 14 knockouts. Buatsi, 33, from Croydon in London, falls to 20 wins and two defeats, with 13 knockouts. He had dropped Hutchinson twice with body shots on his way to a split points win for the interim WBO belt in September 2024, but he could not get near the Scot for the first half of the rematch.

What comes next

After the fight, England’s Anthony Yarde, who lost to Benavidez for the WBC belt a year ago, congratulated Hutchinson in the ring and is now a possible future opponent. “I want him [Yarde] next,” Hutchinson said. For Buatsi, the defeat raises questions about whether he can fulfil the potential expected of him when he turned professional after winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. This was his first fight in a year and his first world title shot, and it followed a unanimous points defeat to Callum Smith in February 2025 and a majority points win over Zach Parker in his previous bout a year ago. On the undercard, English welterweight Jack Rafferty stayed unbeaten, earning a unanimous points win over Belgium’s Hovhannes Martirosyan with scores of 114-113, 116-111 and 116-111 for the fringe IBO belt. Sources: ESPN and British Boxing News.