Willy Hutchinson’s remarkable breakthrough on Saturday night could potentially lead him to confront a fellow compatriot with significantly higher stakes.
Many observers were captivated by the 25-year-old Scot’s dominant and unanimous decision victory over the highly experienced Craig Richards, as he made a strong impression on the global stage.
After securing the initial point for Queensberry in their intense 5 vs. 5 battle against Matchroom, Hutchinson was additionally honored with the WBC silver light-heavyweight title. Nevertheless, recent reports have revealed that the WBO has mandated Hutchinson to confront Joshua Buatsi for the vacant interim title at the weight class of 175lbs.
Following the WBO’s statement declaring Anthony Yarde as “uninterested” and consequently unable to fight Buatsi for the belt, a purse bid order has been issued, introducing Hutchinson as a potential contender. Both Queensberry and Boxxer, who promote Buatsi, have been given a 10-day period to come to a mutual agreement.
On October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Artur Beterbiev, the holder of the WBO, WBC, and IBF titles in the light-heavyweight division, will defend his belts against Dmitry Bivol, the WBA champion. This highly anticipated fight was originally scheduled to take place two nights ago (June 1), but Beterbiev had to withdraw due to injury. In the meantime, Bivol successfully defended his title against Malik Zinad and emerged victorious with a sixth-round stoppage, amidst the 5 vs. 5 event.
Hutchinson’s victory against Richards marked a significant milestone in his career thus far, demonstrating his value to promoter Frank Warren. Despite not securing any notable victories since his defeat to Lennox Clarke for the British and Commonwealth titles in March 2021, this win proved Hutchinson’s worth.
Speaking to Boxing News after his victory on Saturday night Hutchinson had this to say to those who doubted him before he stepped through the ropes.
“Don’t worry, just listen. You’ll get it right next time, and thank you immensely.”
There was a chance for a major turnaround when Hutchinson made the bold choice to engage in a fierce exchange of punches with Richards in the tenth round. This move seemed to be shifting the fight significantly in Hutchinson’s favor.
Hutchinson expressed his love for taking risks.
“I thoroughly enjoy taking risks for the chance of a reward. Life would be meaningless without some level of risk, don’t you think? Therefore, I embraced the challenge wholeheartedly. It was incredibly difficult, but immensely satisfying, and I managed to overcome every obstacle along the way.”
In February, Buatsi, the current WBO number one contender, began his 2024 with a victorious points win over his friend and former sparring partner Dan Azeez. This impressive performance showcased Buatsi’s versatility and proved his critics wrong, making it a strong contender for the domestic Fight of the Year. Regrettably, it appears that the highly anticipated match between Buatsi and Yarde, similar to the missed opportunity of Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder, will only be remembered in the annals of the ‘Ones that got away’ record books.
