Joshua Buatsi-Willy Hutchinson Deal Reached For Interim WBO Title Fight, Eyed For September At Wembley

Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson have found common ground.

An eleventh-hour deal was reached for an interim WBO title fight between the pair of British light heavyweights. The timing helped avoid a purse bid hearing, which was removed from the WBO schedule Monday morning.

A date and location were not included in the alert to WBO officials from BOXXER and Queensberry Promotions, representing Buatsi and Hutchinson, respectively. However, The Ring has learned that the fight is targeted to land on the Sept. 21 Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois show at Wembley Stadium in London.

The bout was previously ordered on June 2. It followed a similar ruling for Buatsi (18-0, 13 knockouts), No. 3 at 175, to face countryman Anthony Yarde (25-3, 24 KOs), The Ring’s No. 4-rated light heavyweight. That order was canceled when Yarde ghosted the WBO when prompted to confirm interest to move forward with the fight.

Scotland’s Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KOs) became available at the perfect time. The opportunity became available one day after his June 1 victory over Craig Richards in Riyadh. The Ring’s No. 9-rated light heavyweight proudly represented Queensberry in the company’s celebrated 5-vs-5 tournament with Matchroom Boxing. His win over Richards kicked off the competition and paved the way for a clean sweep.

It marked the fifth straight victory for Hutchinson, who will now head into a secondary title fight.

England’s Buatsi, who fights for BOXXER, was previously on course to challenge for the WBA title. However, the entire division is stuck in a holding pattern.

Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) will collide on Oct. 12 for the undisputed championship. The summit meeting between the top two light heavyweights comes with every light heavyweight title at stake. Beterbiev No. 1, is the WBC, IBF and WBO champ. Bivol No. 2, has held the WBA title since 2017.

Their meeting was due to take place on June 1. However, the fight was delayed by four months when Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus during training camp. His injury provided the grounds for the WBO to grant an interim title fight. The winner will become the WBO mandatory challenger to the rescheduled Beterbiev-Bivol championship clash.

A deal in place for Buatsi-Hutchinson marks another breakthrough for the British boxing scene. Provided the bout lands on the Joshua-Dubois show, it will see England’s three leading promoters—Matchroom, Queensberry, BOXXER—all involved in the event.

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