Willy Hutchinson has been crowned the WBC light-heavyweight champion after defeating Joshua Buatsi in Manchester. The 28-year-old Scot won the tense rematch by judges' scores of 117-112, 115-113, 115-113, avenging his defeat by Buatsi in 2024.
The fight, held on Saturday, 7 November 2026, was initially for the interim title but was upgraded when American David Benavidez vacated the WBC gold to move up to cruiserweight. This marks Hutchinson's first world title, fulfilling a childhood ambition he reportedly wrote about at 13 years old.
Hutchinson's record now stands at 21 victories with two defeats, while Londoner Buatsi has suffered his second loss in 22 professional fights. Ticket sales for the world title fight were modest, with the upper tier of the AO Arena closed off due to a lack of interest from the British public.