Buatsi and Hutchinson Meet Again in Manchester
Joshua Buatsi cupped his ears and encouraged the boos from Willy Hutchinson's supporters at Friday's ceremonial weigh-in in Manchester. The two light-heavyweights meet again on Saturday, 7 November, at the AO Arena for the WBC light-heavyweight world title.
The WBC is one of boxing's four major sanctioning bodies, the organisations that each sanction their own world title belts. Light-heavyweight is the division with a upper limit of 175 pounds, or 79.4 kilograms. Saturday's fight was first arranged as an interim title bout, a step below a full world title. It was upgraded after David Benavidez gave up the WBC belt to move up to cruiserweight.
Buatsi, 33, won Olympic bronze at Rio in 2016. He has a professional record of 20 wins and one defeat, with 13 knockouts. Hutchinson, 28, was the first Scottish boxer to win gold at an amateur World Championships. His professional record is 20 wins and two defeats, with 14 knockouts.
The pair fought once before, just over two years ago. Buatsi won by split decision, meaning the judges were divided on the result. Two judges scored it 117-108 and 115-110 for Buatsi, and the third had it 113-112 for Hutchinson. Buatsi knocked Hutchinson down in the sixth and ninth rounds. Since that night, Hutchinson has won twice, and one of those wins was a seventh-round stoppage, where the referee halts the fight.
The weigh-in was not straightforward for Buatsi. At the official weigh-in on Friday morning he was one ounce, about 28 grams, over the limit. He had to step back on the scales and made the championship weight of 12 stone 7 pounds, or 79 kilograms, at the second attempt after taking his clothes off. Hutchinson stepped on first. Around 100 members of the public watched.
The face-off was loud. Hutchinson shouted "and the new" several times while the two stood nose to nose. Buatsi was unmoved by the crowd and was happy to play to it. "He's talking like we haven't done it before but we have," he said. "I'm excited about the crowd - I'll see you all there."
For casual fans, the appeal is simple. These two have already shared a tense night in the ring, the result was close enough to be argued over, and the belt now sits on the line. Both men have a point to prove, and the rematch will tell us whether the first fight was a fluke or a pattern.
The fight will be broadcast live on DAZN.
