Scottish boxer Willy Hutchinson (28) fights this weekend, on Saturday, against Joshua Buatsi for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title. The bout takes place at Manchester's AO Arena and was originally scheduled for the interim title, but was upgraded after David Benavidez relinquished the WBC gold to move up to the cruiserweight division.
Hutchinson wrote down his boxing goals as a 13-year-old while working with his father. Becoming WBC champion was at the top of his list. "I wrote on a penny and a book that I would become Scottish, British, European and world amateur champion," Hutchinson said. "On the other side of this book – I am 13 years old and I still have this book to this day – I wrote that I would become WBC world champion." He added: "I have already won silver and international titles and now I am fighting for the main belt."
Hutchinson became the first Scottish boxer to win gold at the amateur World Championships nearly 10 years ago, and also triumphed at the junior level. The date of that victory and the night of the fight with Buatsi are only a few days apart on the calendar, which Hutchinson described as "absolutely fantastic".
Broadcaster Adam Smith hosted Thursday's press conference at Manchester's New Century Hall and challenged Hutchinson to bring the book containing his boxing ambitions on Saturday night. Hutchinson said he was "sure we can sort something out". The fighters were asked about their newly discovered respect for one another, and Hutchinson said he had "had to mature". During the face-off, Hutchinson moved closer to Buatsi and tension could be felt, although there were no signs of provocation this time, unlike in the build-up to their first match.
Buatsi, a 33-year-old from London, won an Olympic bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Games. His progress has been slower than expected, and as a professional he has a record of 20 wins and one loss. This is potentially his only chance to win a world title. "My life has been very different from all of this. Fighting in arenas, winning titles and going to the Olympics, as a boy, that was not my dream," Buatsi said. "When I started this sport, I started with wins, continued, and then the dream came. As a boy, if you asked me if I wanted to do this, hell no. I did not have a vision for it, but now I do, we have aligned with it, and we are almost there."
Buatsi secured a split decision victory in an exciting first fight just over two years ago, and Hutchinson managed to irritate Buatsi during the preparations at the time. This time, Buatsi appeared relaxed during the press conference and mingled with the media afterwards.
