Hutchinson Beats Buatsi in Manchester to Win WBC Light-Heavyweight Title
Willy Hutchinson has won the WBC light-heavyweight world title after beating Joshua Buatsi in their rematch at Manchester's AO Arena on Saturday 7 November.
All three judges scored the fight for Hutchinson, giving him 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on their cards. That is a unanimous decision, meaning the win was not in doubt on any official scorecard. BBC Sport reported the result.
The result settles a score from two years ago. Buatsi beat Hutchinson by split decision at Wembley Stadium in September 2024, a result where the judges disagreed on the winner. Two judges had Buatsi ahead in that fight and one had Hutchinson. This time Hutchinson avenged that defeat.
The fight began as an interim title bout, a version of a belt held while a full champion is sorted out. It was upgraded to a full world title after David Benavidez vacated the WBC light-heavyweight belt to move up to cruiserweight, the division above. The WBC is one of the four major organisations that sanction world championship fights, so a vacant belt is one that nobody holds.
Hutchinson's professional record now stands at 21 wins and two defeats. He had 14 knockouts going into the rematch. He becomes the eighth British light-heavyweight champion, and the first since Nathan Cleverly in 2017. Light-heavyweight has a limit of 175 pounds, about 79.4 kilograms.
Both men made the weight. WBC Boxing recorded Buatsi at 174.9 pounds and Hutchinson at 174.5 pounds. Weight matters in boxing because it decides who is allowed to fight in which class, and missing it can cost a fighter his title shot.
The weigh-in had its own tension. Buatsi, who is 33, was booed by Hutchinson's supporters as he stepped on the scales. Hutchinson had been ranked No. 6 by the WBC at 175 pounds before the fight, and he went into this bout on a run of two wins since the first meeting with Buatsi.
For a casual fan, the headline is simple. A fighter who lost the first encounter came back, took the judges' verdict on every card, and left Manchester with a world belt. The division now has a new champion, and the vacancy left by Benavidez has been filled.
