British rivals Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson will renew their rivalry on Saturday when they contest the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title at Manchester’s AO Arena. Their first meeting ended with Buatsi winning by split decision, setting up a second encounter with a world championship belt on the line.
Buatsi is expected to face Hutchinson in the ring around 22:00 GMT, although the schedule remains provisional. The London card featuring former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith and Cheavon Clarke is also expected to reach its main event at approximately the same time.
The Manchester bill includes Brad Rea against Ezra Taylor at light-heavyweight, Zak Miller versus Gully Powar at featherweight and Jack Turner against Andres Gregorio at super-flyweight. John Joe Carrigan and Stephen Clarke are also listed to appear against opponents yet to be confirmed.
In London, the supporting bouts include Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr at middleweight, Damazion Vanhouter versus Ivan Balaz at heavyweight and Sam Hickey against Troy Coleman at middleweight. Kayla Allen meets Julia Igel at light-welterweight, while Lucas Roehrig faces Connal McDonald at cruiserweight.
Buatsi, 33, won his first 19 professional fights after taking Olympic bronze for Great Britain in 2016. He later suffered his only professional defeat against Smith in February 2025, before returning to victory against Parker in November of that year. His record stands at 20 wins and one loss.
Hutchinson began his professional career with 13 consecutive victories. He suffered his first defeat against Lennox Clarke in 2021, then rebuilt with five wins before losing to Buatsi. Victories over Mark Jeffers and Ezra Taylor followed, leaving Hutchinson with 20 wins and two defeats, including 14 stoppages.
The WBC belt became available after American David Benavidez moved up to cruiserweight. Dmitry Bivol currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles and is scheduled to defend them against Britain’s Callum Smith in Yekaterinburg on 12 December.
The first Buatsi-Hutchinson bout was a competitive contest in which both men exchanged heavily from the opening stages. Hutchinson made a strong start but suffered a cut near his right eye after a fifth-round clash of heads. Buatsi scored knockdowns in the sixth and ninth rounds, while Hutchinson was deducted a point for using his head in the seventh.
Hutchinson reached the final bell, with one judge scoring the fight 113-112 in his favour. The other two judges awarded it to Buatsi by scores of 117-108 and 115-110. Buatsi landed 264 of 600 punches, including 191 power shots, while Hutchinson connected with 209 of 566 punches and 157 power punches.
The second card is headlined by Billam-Smith and Clarke at cruiserweight. Clarke, 35, defeated Billam-Smith in the 2016 ABA Championships final before winning European silver in 2017 and Commonwealth bronze in 2018. He turned professional in 2022, won his first 10 bouts and later lost to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley. Consecutive victories have taken his record to 12 wins and two defeats.
Billam-Smith has won 22 of 24 professional contests. The 36-year-old former European and Commonwealth champion became WBO cruiserweight world champion by defeating Lawrence Okolie in 2023 and made two successful defences. He lost the title to Gilberto Ramirez during a unification attempt in 2024 but has since won his last two fights.
Buatsi-Hutchinson fight week includes open workouts on Wednesday, a news conference at 13:00 on Thursday and a weigh-in at 17:00 on Friday. The London event’s ceremonial weigh-in is scheduled for 18:00 GMT on Friday. All times are subject to change.
Sources: BBC Sport.