Willy Hutchinson Beats Joshua Buatsi to Win WBC Light-Heavyweight Title in Manchester Rematch

Willy Hutchinson is a world champion at last. The 28-year-old from Carstairs in Scotland beat Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision in Manchester on Saturday night to win the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title, avenging the defeat that has haunted him for two years.

All three judges scored the rematch in Hutchinson’s favour — 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113 — after 12 rounds at the AO Arena. It was the first world title of Hutchinson’s career, and it made him Scotland’s first men’s world boxing champion since Josh Taylor’s reign at junior welterweight ended three years ago.

For Buatsi, the defeat was his second as a professional and a painful setback in a career that once promised so much. The 33-year-old from Croydon in London, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympics, had beaten Hutchinson in their first meeting. This time, he started too slowly and never truly caught up.

What happened in Manchester

Hutchinson was the sharper and busier fighter for most of the night, especially in the first half of the contest. Buatsi, fighting for the first time in a year, took too long to get going, and by the time he found his rhythm the fight was slipping away from him.

The Scot set the tone early. He established his jab in the second round and then frustrated Buatsi through the third with quick, elusive footwork and single, scoring shots. Crucially, he refused to stand still and trade at close range, where Buatsi’s body punching had hurt him so badly in their first fight.

Buatsi improved in the middle rounds and landed a good body shot in the eighth, and he grew busier as the fight went on. But he still could not close the gap. He waited until the 11th round to show his greatest intensity — and by then it was too late. In the final round Hutchinson was largely backpedalling, even celebrating before the final bell, confident the decision was his.

When the scores were read out, the AO Arena erupted. Hutchinson had done what he had promised himself he would do since he was a boy.

“I was 13 when I said I would be WBC champion”

Moments after the result was announced, Hutchinson spoke in the ring about a promise he made to himself as a child.

“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,” he said.

He was honest about the two years since his first defeat to Buatsi. “I should have beaten him two years ago, but we got the job done with balls of steel,” he added.

It was a line that summed up the night. Hutchinson did not win with a single dramatic punch. He won with discipline, movement and a clear plan — and he stuck to it for all 12 rounds.

A rivalry two years in the making

The two men first met in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, on the undercard of Daniel Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title defence against Anthony Joshua. That night belonged to Buatsi. He dropped Hutchinson twice with body shots and won a split decision to take the interim WBO belt.

The defeat stayed with Hutchinson. He has spoken since about believing he should have won that first fight, and the rematch was built around that unfinished business.

Saturday’s contest was first announced as a fight for the interim WBC title. It was upgraded to a fight for the full, vacant world title when the unbeaten American David Benavidez gave up the belt last month to move up to cruiserweight, where he is a unified champion.

That change raised the stakes for both men. Before the fight, Buatsi and Hutchinson were ranked in the top 10 by only one of the four world governing bodies, after both had suffered setbacks in the last two years. The winner would not just take revenge or settle a score — he would get a career-changing boost.

Two careers heading in opposite directions

The result continued a worrying slide for Buatsi. Once one of British boxing’s brightest prospects, his career has moved painfully slowly since he turned professional after winning Olympic bronze in Rio ten years ago.

This was his first world title shot, and it came after a difficult run. Callum Smith beat him by unanimous decision in February 2025, and Buatsi then struggled in his last fight a year ago, escaping with a majority points win over Zach Parker. He looked flat in that fight, and with California-based trainer Virgil Hunter in his corner on Saturday, he was outworked again for most of the opening rounds.

The defeat raises real questions about whether Buatsi can still fulfil the potential that was expected of him when he turned professional. At 33, with a record now standing at 20 wins and two defeats, with 13 knockouts, time is no longer on his side.

Hutchinson, by contrast, arrived in Manchester in better form. He impressed in a points win over Ezra Taylor earlier this year, and he looked sharp from the opening bell against Buatsi. His record now reads 21 wins and two defeats, with 14 knockouts — and, for the first time, a world title next to his name.

What the win means for Scottish boxing

Hutchinson’s victory is a landmark moment for Scottish boxing. He is the first Scottish man to win a world title since Josh Taylor, whose reign at junior welterweight ended three years ago. He is also the eighth British light-heavyweight world champion — and the first since Nathan Cleverly in 2017.

Scotland has produced great fighters before, from Ken Buchanan to Ricky Burns to Taylor. Hutchinson now joins that list, and he did it the hard way: by beating the man who had beaten him, in a rematch, for a vacant world title.

For a fighter from the small town of Carstairs in South Lanarkshire, it is a remarkable story. The note he wrote at 13 years old has now come true.

What happens next?

Hutchinson already has an idea of what he wants next. In the ring after the fight, England’s Anthony Yarde came in to congratulate him — and Hutchinson made his intentions clear.

“I want him [Yarde] next,” he said.

Yarde is a natural next opponent. He lost to Benavidez for the WBC belt a year ago, and a fight between the two Britons would be a big domestic occasion. Nothing has been agreed yet, but the call-out was made in front of the cameras, and it is the fight Hutchinson wants.

The wider light-heavyweight division is also moving. Russia’s Dmitry Bivol, the WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight world champion, is due to defend his titles against Britain’s Callum Smith in Yekaterinburg on 12 December. The winner of that fight would hold three of the four major belts — and a unification fight with Hutchinson, who now holds the WBC title, would be one of the biggest fights the division can make.

For now, though, Hutchinson can enjoy the moment. He has waited two years for this revenge, and 15 years since he wrote his childhood promise in a book.

What went wrong for Buatsi

Buatsi’s problem on Saturday was not a lack of talent. He is an accomplished boxer with a fine amateur background and real punching power, especially to the body. His problem was pace and urgency.

He allowed Hutchinson to read his attacks, moving at a steady speed that let the Scot pick his moments. He did not force the close-range exchanges where his body shots could do damage, and he did not start fighting with real intensity until the 11th round. By then, Hutchinson had already banked too many rounds.

It was a familiar pattern. Against Parker a year ago, Buatsi also looked flat and had to settle for a narrow majority decision. Against Smith in February 2025, he was outpointed. The question now is whether, at 33, he can rebuild again — or whether his best chance at a world title has passed.

Undercard: Rafferty stays unbeaten

On the undercard, English welterweight Jack Rafferty kept his unbeaten record with a hard-earned unanimous points win over Belgium’s Hovhannes Martirosyan.

Rafferty, now 28 wins, no defeats and one draw, with 18 knockouts, almost sent Martirosyan through the ropes during an entertaining fight. He had to show plenty of grit to prevail, and he forced a contentious knockdown in the final round before earning scores of 114-113, 116-111 and 116-111 for the fringe IBO belt.

The result in full

• Willy Hutchinson beat Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision (117-112, 115-113, 115-113) to win the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title.
• Venue: AO Arena, Manchester, England.
• Date: Saturday, 7 November 2026.
• Hutchinson’s record: 21 wins, 2 defeats, 14 knockouts.
• Buatsi’s record: 20 wins, 2 defeats, 13 knockouts.
• Undercard: Jack Rafferty beat Hovhannes Martirosyan by unanimous decision (114-113, 116-111, 116-111).

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Hutchinson vs Buatsi rematch?

Willy Hutchinson won by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113 in his favour.

What title was on the line?

The vacant WBC light-heavyweight title. The belt was given up by David Benavidez, who moved up to cruiserweight.

Who did Hutchinson beat to become world champion?

Joshua Buatsi, the 33-year-old from Croydon who had beaten Hutchinson by split decision in their first fight in September 2024.

What is Willy Hutchinson’s record now?

21 wins and 2 defeats, with 14 knockouts. The win over Buatsi was his first world title.

Who could Hutchinson fight next?

Hutchinson said in the ring that he wants Anthony Yarde next. A unification fight with Dmitry Bivol, who defends his WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Callum Smith on 12 December, is also possible in the future.

Where did the fight take place?

At the AO Arena in Manchester, England, on Saturday, 7 November 2026.

Conclusion

Willy Hutchinson’s win over Joshua Buatsi was more than just a world title victory. It was revenge, two years in the making, for the defeat at Wembley that had defined his career. It was the fulfilment of a promise he wrote down when he was 13 years old. And it was a landmark night for Scottish boxing, producing the country’s first men’s world champion in three years.

Hutchinson boxed with discipline and intelligence, refusing to be drawn into the kind of close-range fight that had cost him in 2024. Buatsi, for all his talent, started too slowly and left his best work until too late.

The Scot now holds the WBC light-heavyweight title, and the division’s biggest fights are open to him. First, though, he has a name in mind: Anthony Yarde. If that fight happens, British boxing will have another big night to look forward to.

Sources

• ESPN, “Willy Hutchinson beats Joshua Buatsi to win WBC light-heavyweight title”, 8 November 2026: https://www.espn.ph/boxing/story/_/id/50413727/willy-hutchinson-beats-joshua-buatsi-win-wbc-light-heavyweight-title
• Reuters, “Britain’s Hutchinson beats Buatsi to take vacant WBC light-heavyweight title”, 8 November 2026: https://www.reuters.com/sports/britains-hutchinson-beats-buatsi-take-vacant-wbc-light-heavyweight-title-2026-11-08/
• The Ring, “Hutchinson gets revenge on Buatsi to win vacant WBC 175-pound title”, 8 November 2026: https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/hutchinson-gets-revenge-on-buatsi-to-win-vacant-wbc-175-pound-title-4HrxyvE0iKIRHXwB4tVsnt

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.