British boxers Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson will contest the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title at AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday. The pair previously met in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, where Buatsi prevailed by split-decision in a competitive encounter. Buatsi, 33, earned his victory through two knockdowns in that opening meeting, with judges scoring the bout 113-112, 117-108, and 115-110. Hutchinson will be seeking to reverse that result and claim the vacant belt.
Both fighters entered professional boxing in 2017 within three months of each other and have accumulated similar career trajectories. Buatsi previously won bronze representing Team GB at the 2016 Olympics before launching his pro career with 19 consecutive victories, including 13 by knockout. He captured the WBO interim light-heavyweight title against Hutchinson before suffering his sole defeat to Smith in February 2025. A majority-decision win over Parker in November 2025 returned Buatsi to title contention with a record of 20-1. Hutchinson built a 13-fight unbeaten streak to start his career but experienced his first professional loss to Lennox Clarke in 2021. After rebuilding with five consecutive victories, he fell to Buatsi before recording wins over Mark Jeffers and Ezra Taylor, establishing a record of 20 wins and two losses.
Elsewhere on the card, former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith headlines at London’s Copper Box Arena against fellow British competitor Cheavon Clarke. Billam-Smith holds a 22-24 record and previously held the WBO cruiserweight world title, which he lost to Gilberto Ramirez in 2024. Clarke, 35, represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and holds a record of 12 wins and two defeats. The two boxers previously competed as amateurs in 2016, with Clarke defeating Billam-Smith in the ABA Championships final.
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