Willy Hutchinson admits boxing has left him feeling down, even after victories, but is in a good place as he prepares to face Joshua Buatsi in a rematch for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title on Saturday at Manchester's AO Arena. The pair first met on the undercard of Daniel Dubois v Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024, where Hutchinson lost a split decision despite climbing off the canvas twice. Since then, Hutchinson has rebuilt with wins over Mark Jeffers and Ezra Taylor, while Buatsi bounced back from a loss to Callum Smith with a victory over Zach Parker. Hutchinson insists he is a different fighter now and is focused on becoming world champion.
Hutchinson said, 'This time I'm going to put the performance on I should have done two years ago. So he's going to be meeting a different Willy Hutchinson this time. I'm going to be there and I'm going to be taking that world title back home with me, I can tell you that.' He believes the hardest part is over after a grueling training camp and expects to make an easy night's work of it. The rematch is set for 7 November at Manchester's AO Arena.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing