Hutchinson and Buatsi Meet Again for Vacant WBC Light-Heavyweight Title
Willy Hutchinson and Joshua Buatsi meet again this Saturday, 7 November, for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight world title. The fight is at Manchester Arena and is listed for 22:00. A vacant title has no current holder, and the WBC is one of boxing's four major sanctioning bodies, the organisations that recognise world champions.
Hutchinson is 28 and Scottish. Buatsi is 33. The bout is a rematch of their meeting at Wembley Stadium in September 2024, and it will be broadcast live on DAZN.
That first fight went the full twelve rounds. Buatsi won on a split decision, meaning the judges did not agree. Two scorecards had Buatsi ahead, 117-108 and 115-110, while the third had Hutchinson on top, 113-112. Sky Sports reported that Buatsi knocked Hutchinson down twice in that bout.
Hutchinson's career has been building towards a belt like this one. At 13, he wrote down his boxing goals, and becoming WBC champion of the world was on the list. He held the WBC International light-heavyweight title in 2023. His most recent fight ended with a win over Ezra Taylor, who had previously been unbeaten.
Buatsi has won his own recent fights too. He beat Zach Parker on points, which means the judges' scorecards decided the result rather than a knockout or a stoppage.
The division's weight limit is 175 pounds, or about 79 kilograms. Both men will need to make that weight before they step into the ring.
For Hutchinson, the goal he wrote down as a 13-year-old is now a single fight away. For Buatsi, it is a chance to settle the first meeting on his own terms, or to add a second win over the same opponent. Saturday's result will decide who leaves Manchester with the vacant belt.
