The time is now for Joshua Buatsi.
Should he beat Willy Hutchinson and win the WBO interim light heavyweight title at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sept. 21, Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs) plans to fly out to Saudia Arabia and make sure he is front and center when WBC, WBO and IBF titleholder Artur Beterbiev and WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol fight for the undisputed championship on Oct. 12.
Buatsi has been on the precipice of a world title shot for some time, but the 31-year-old, Ghana-born London resident believes he is now ready.
“Yeah, I’ve felt that for a while,” Buatsi told Queensberry. “But taking this fight indicates that it will take me a step closer, so it’s a fight that I’ve grabbed with both hands and, hopefully, on Sept. 21, we’ll get in the ring and we’ll find out.”
A World Youth amateur champion, Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KOs) has always been a talented fighter, but he finally showed what he is truly capable of as a pro when he soundly outboxed Craig Richards in June.
Hutchinson’s unpredictable character adds another very useful string to his bow. He successfully stirred up Richards, and the Londoner seemed to be trying almost too hard to keep his composure during the early rounds of their fight. Hutchinson boxed brilliantly to build an unassailable lead before Richards finally threw caution to the wind in a doomed late charge.
Buatsi has always been a cerebral, calm character, but even he, based off some leaked footage, appeared to rise to the Scotsman’s bait during the filming of a face-off-style show.
Buatsi promises that he will be able to detach himself from the emotion of the fight and concentrate on Hutchinson’s boxing ability on fight night.
“I don’t care how he’s coming across or what he’s saying or what he’s not saying,” Buatsi said. “Whatever he’s doing, he’s meant to be doing, so that’s good on his side. It’s just if he says something that’s out of line to me, I’m going to have to pull him and check him.
“It’s a great fight. Great styles. You guys will see how I deal with someone that’s going to move or not move and switch-hit – all of that – and we’ll see how he deals with someone that’s got a style like me, which I don’t think he’s come across.”
It is safe to say that Hutchinson probably only appeared as a blip on Buatsi’s radar once he got past Richards, but suddenly he presents the most clear and present danger to Buatsi’s title aspirations.
“I put him at the top,” Buatsi said. “He’s the next one that I’m fighting, so, for me, it makes him No. 1. When I was boxing Dan [Azeez], Dan was No. 1. When I boxed ‘Spider’ [Craig Richards], Spider was No. 1. So whoever I box next is going to be No. 1.”
Buatsi has been plagued by inactivity, and he has also attracted criticism for a perceived lack of urgency and for turning down an apparent £1m offer to fight Bivol last year. But his patience has paid off. Rather than fighting Bivol for the WBA title or challenging Beterbiev for the WBO strap, Buatsi, with a win on Sept. 21, will be in pole position to challenge for the undisputed title.
Should Buatsi beat Hutchinson, 2025 should finally be the year that he challenges for world honors.
“Every year has been that, but as I’ve said in most of the interviews, you can’t predict things,” Buatsi said. “Bivol and Beterbiev were meant to fight a while ago, and they still haven’t fought. No one knew that a unification was going to come in the light heavyweight division to slow things down, so you can’t predict it. [What] I’ve learned now is to get into the biggest fights to win and the fights that are going to take me closer to the title, so, while it’s not happening, I have to stay ready and keep winning.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79
