By James Blears
It’s taken two long years, but there was always a grim inevitability that their paths would cross again one fine day. And so, Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson will fight for a second time, but now the stakes are sky-high, with the vacant World Boxing Council Green and Gold Belt enticingly there for the taking.
Of all the gin joints in the world, the setting for round thirteen of this titanic encounter is the AO Arena on Saturday, November 7th, in Manchester, England—famous for its rain, and where quite another reign will start. The title was vacated by the formidable David Benavidez to move up to cruiserweight and fight Michał Cieślak for that WBC title on December 5th. So, the one-sided war of words between Willy and Joshua will take another twist, turn, and facet, because it takes two, and this “War of Brits” is for pride plus bragging and modesty rights, as well as that cherished Green and Gold Belt.
There’s almost nothing that slow-burns, irks, and infuriates a quiet, taciturn man quite like a flaring, flaunting extrovert who delights in goading and infuriating him. It lights a smouldering fuse. Willy, who is nicknamed “Braveheart” and even more appropriately “The Hutch Train,” can sometimes play the wally with bravado, but most of his chatter and banter doesn’t contain deep-seated, bile-infused nastiness. He’s brash and flash, and he’s in your face, which is the same way he fights—a cheeky chappie delivering quips: “For this one, I’m older, wiser, stronger, and handsomer. I need to put a wrong right, and if I’m right, I’ll smash him to pieces.”
Joshua, who graduated with a 2:1 degree in management with sports science from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, isn’t given or prone to being brash or rash. Aptly nicknamed “Just Business,” he declares, adding a touch of arsenic acidity: “With this rematch, something very important is on the line and I’m on board. I will get into the ring for everything, so I’m willing and I’m ready.”
Prior to turning pro in 2017, Willy, from Carstairs in Scotland, won the European Junior Amateur Championship gold medal in 2014. Two years later, he won the Youth World Championships at middleweight. Joshua, who has lived most of his life in London, won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2016 and another bronze at the Olympics in that same year. He too turned pro in 2017.
It’s been a steady and graduated climb to reach this point for Willy, who won the WBC International belt with a fourth-round KO of Ezequiel Maderna and then the vacant WBC Silver title, defeating Craig Richards via UD in Riyadh, before fighting Joshua Buatsi.
Their first fight on September 21st, 2024, at Wembley Stadium—which Joshua won by split decision—was an absolute barn burner fanned by a gale. Willy, bursting with energy and as keen as mustard, glowed while throwing clusters of long-range hooks, almost reminiscent of the 1969 film titled Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. Joshua, sturdy, steady, and more than ready, greeted and met the onslaught with crunching body shots that assuredly sank in and took their toll.
In round five, an accidental clash of heads left Willy with a gash over his right eye. One round later, a hard right to his head was followed by a power-driver left to his midriff, and down Willy went, badly hurt; but the bell saved him. Typical of the man and his superb condition, plus true grit, Willy fought back tenaciously.
But in round nine, another yet shorter left to his solar plexus found the exact spot. Willy winced, gasped, and went down in great discomfort, but beat the count and yet again fought back with the fire of desire. In the championship rounds, he gained his second wind, and with it, momentum, while Joshua seemed to be ebbing rather than flowing, noticeably tiring.
With the two knockdowns and the referee deducting one point from Willy in round seven for a rash, foolish, and reckless use of the head, it seemed like a clear win for Joshua, but it ended up as a split-decision victory for him. In this fight, Willy hadn’t been difficult to hit—clearly, he was too easy a target. But his desire and firepower were evident. Every time the tide turned against him, he surged back with ferocity. This man has what it takes when under fire.
Since that thrilling fight night, Joshua has lost a UD to the tough-as-nails Callum Smith and won a gruelling MD over Zach Parker. Willy claims Joshua has now seen better days and he’s spent. We shall see. Willy has stopped Mark Jeffers via a seventh-round TKO and won by UD over Ezra Taylor.
Willy is still only twenty-eight with a record of 20-2, 14 KOs, while Joshua is five years older with a record of 20-1, 14 KOs. Willy’s determination and exuberance are effervescent plusses, which must not be tempered, dampened, or curtailed. Rather, they must be directed and more adroitly focused. His defense needs to be appreciably tightened, and he needs to make his head a more elusive target—at times in the first fight, it stuck up and stuck out like a weathervane.
First time around, Joshua’s plan to go to the body reaped rewards and dividends, obliging Willy to fight back from adversity. In this second fight, Joshua must maintain and then pick up his punch rate while maintaining his stamina, which frayed to an extent towards the end of their first encounter. While Willy has to parry more punches instead of soaking them up, plus weathering their effect. Macho really isn’t mucho!
With such a glittering prize within reach, albeit on the top shelf, the two of them will go for broke. It’s unlikely that this time around it’ll go the full distance; the stakes are so much higher and necessitate the taking of greater calculated risks. They are as differently drawn as chalk and cheese—such contrasting characters.
Much further down the road, and after the years have worn away the rough edges and mellowed them, it’ll be interesting to see if they can share a pint or a meal at one of boxing’s many reunions. Stranger twists and turns have occurred. Consider, significantly and pleasingly, the end of the feud between Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, which produced such a searingly, magnificently dry-mouthed trilogy. Their bitter rivalry has since matured and ripened into a wonderful friendship.
But for the time being, back in Manchester, the power and the glory require focus, commitment, and powerful exchanges up in the ring. Josh and Will guarantee one helluva Brit thrill.
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