Published: 16:47 EDT, 8 November 2026 | Updated: 16:47 EDT, 8 November 2026
Scotland is celebrating the crowning of a brilliant new boxing world champion after Willy Hutchinson delivered the performance of a lifetime to defeat Joshua Buatsi in Manchester and claim the vacant World Boxing Council light-heavyweight belt.
The 28-year-old fighter from Carstairs outclassed his London-based rival across twelve tactical and punishing rounds at the AO Arena, displaying a technical masterclass that left his opponent grasping at air and completely avenging the bitter defeat he suffered at Buatsi’s hands back in 2024. From the opening bell to the final punch, Hutchinson was superior in every department, effectively toying with a formidable opponent who had entered the ring as the favored competitor.
In the intense build-up to Saturday night’s showdown, Hutchinson had repeatedly insisted that he had fundamentally matured since that previous setback two years ago. He maintained that he was now a much more complete, composed, and mentally resilient fighter, and he went about proving those claims in devastatingly impressive style. Throughout the contest, he showcased expert footwork, elusive lateral movement, and sharp, stinging counterpunching that repeatedly flummoxed Buatsi, neutralizing the Londoner’s formidable power and tactical advances.
When the final bell sounded, there was little doubt in the minds of the spectators or the officials regarding the victor. The ringside judges scored the bout 117-112, 115-113, and 115-113, all in Hutchinson’s favor by unanimous decision. As the official verdict echoed through the packed venue, the majority of the crowd in the AO Arena erupted into wild celebrations, rising to their feet to acclaim the new champion and salute a magnificent sporting spectacle.
The high-stakes contest had initially been scheduled to fight for the interim WBC world title, but the stakes were dramatically raised just weeks prior when American superstar David Benavidez made the decision to vacate the WBC gold in order to move up to the cruiserweight division. The vacancy paved the way for an unforgettable night that proved to be a dream come true for Scotland’s Hutchinson. In emotional interviews before the bout, the Scottish fighter had shared the deeply personal backstory of how he had first targeted becoming a WBC champion when he was just a 13-year-old boy.
As he celebrated his famous victory inside the squared circle, clutching the coveted green and gold belt tightly to his chest, an emotional Hutchinson reflected on that lifelong journey. He told the gathered media and cheering fans that he wanted to tell the story one more time, recounting how his father was working away in Sweden when he signed his dream into a book at age 13, vowing that he would one day become a world champion. With tears in his eyes and adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he shouted his joy to the rafters, ready to embrace the pinnacle of the sport.
The new champion was also quick to direct praise toward his corner, explicitly thanking his coach for steering him through turbulent times away from the sport. Hutchinson revealed that his mentor had literally dug him out of a hole that he never thought he would be able to climb out of, emphasizing that without that vital support, he would not even be alive today, let alone competing at the elite level of professional boxing. For Hutchinson, wearing the world championship belt around his waist felt like an incredible bonus after the personal hardships he had overcome to reach this destination.
Looking immediately toward the horizon, Hutchinson wasted no time in calling out his next potential adversary, setting his sights firmly on an explosive all-British showdown against three-time former world title challenger Anthony Yarde. As it happened, Yarde was watching the action unfold closely from his ringside seat in Manchester, taking in every tactical nuance of Hutchinson’s masterclass performance.
Turning his attention directly toward the Londoner in the audience, Hutchinson challenged him face-to-face, asking if he wanted a piece of the new champion and declaring that while Yarde is certainly no walkover, he is the man he wants next. Yarde, standing at 35 years of age and hungry for another world title opportunity of his own, did not hesitate to respond positively to the public challenge, stating clearly from his seat that it is a fight he would one hundred percent love to take.
Beyond the domestic blockbuster prospect against Yarde, other lucrative and career-defining avenues are already opening up for the newly crowned WBC king. Another highly attractive option could lie in the winner of the upcoming, mouth-watering light-heavyweight tussle scheduled for next month in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where Dmitry Bivol and Callum Smith are set to collide with the division’s other three major world titles hanging in the balance.
Should Hutchinson elect to pursue that path and successfully defeat the victor of that Russian showdown, the Scotsman—who now proudly boasts an impressive professional record of 21 victories with just two defeats—could potentially find himself crowned as the undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world within the year 2027.
With a charismatic new champion holding one of the most prestigious belts in the sport, a calendar full of blockbuster domestic and international options, and a style that has captivated the boxing world, the future of Scottish boxing has suddenly grown a whole lot brighter.
