Willy Hutchinson vs Joshua Buatsi Predictions: ‘Just Business’ for Buatsi

Willy Hutchinson and Joshua Buatsi face off in a real humdinger on Saturday, September 21 at Wembley Stadium. The light heavyweight bout forms part of the undercard for Daniel Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title defence against Anthony Joshua. DAZN PPV and Sky Sports PPV will both televise the card.

Here are my Hutchinson vs Buatsi predictions ahead of this excellent match-up.

The WBO interim light heavyweight championship is on the line in this one as that organisation’s top-two contenders meet. With an undisputed title attraction on the way between WBO, IBF and WBC king Artur Beterbiev and WBA boss Dmitry Bivol, theoretically the winner of this domestic dust-up is next in line.

This fight could stand on its own without the set-dressing, though. It is a competitive and intriguing match-up that more than warrants a stadium locale.

Buatsi has walked the traditional path and walked it well. An Olympic bronze medalist at Rio 2016, he has since captured the British and Commonwealth championships as a pro. At the age of 31, his arrival at world level feels a tad overdue. But all systems are go for an ascent to the very top.

Hutchinson’s journey has been similar, but inferior. A world youth champion as an amateur, he worked his way up to a British and Commonwealth title challenge as a pro. The Scotsman came unstuck against Lennox Clarke in that 2021, but he has been flawless since. Hutchinson’s efforts have seen him break into the WBO world rankings.

Last time out, Hutchinson announced himself to the world with a win over Craig Richards. A unanimous decision win over a man who put up a decent effort in a title challenge against Bivol was impressive stuff. Doing it on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk undisputed title undercard elevated the achievement further. Suddenly, fans the world over were aware of Hutchinson’s talents.

‘Braveheart’ has also beaten star gatekeeper Ezequiel Maderna, whose most famous outing came against Beterbiev. But Buatsi is his toughest test. Can Hutchinson build on the excellent Richards win and solidify himself at world level?

Buatsi is coming off a big victory, too. His unanimous decision win over friend-turned-rival Dan Azeez was a big deal in the UK. The OVO Arena in Wembley hosted the British and Commonwealth title fight, in which Buatsi inflicted Azeez’s first professional loss. Buatsi also has his own points win over Craig Richards, which he notched in 2022. 

This domestic affair epitomises the sort of fights these Riyadh Season cards bring. We can argue about the socio-political implications all day and it is a nuanced debate worth having. But from a pure sporting perspective, these events have changed the game in a positive way. Other promoters are starting to realise they cannot get away with one-sided knock-overs. Fans are growing accustomed to 50-50 fights.

This fight is close to honouring that overused term, even if in my view it is more 60-40 in Buatsi’s favour. But as fans we will take that over the 99-1, prospect vs journeyman gruel that some promoters force down our throats. This is a proper scrap that will propel the winner towards a meeting with the best light heavyweight on the planet.

Hutchinson vs Buatsi Fight Odds

Hutchinson opens as a 23/10 underdog here, with Buatsi boasting more experience at the top level. This is reflected in the latter’s status as a 4/11 favourite. If you fancy these guys to fight to a stalemate, a draw is 18/1.

Hutchinson vs Buatsi Full Card

Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois (c); IBF heavyweight title 

Tyler Denny (c) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz; European middleweight title 

Anthony Cacace (c) vs. Josh Warrington; IBF super featherweight title 

Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson; Light heavyweight 

Mark Chamberlain vs. Josh Padely; Lightweight

Josh Kelly vs Ishmael Davis; Middleweight

Hutchinson vs Buatsi Prediction

This is going to be a fun one. Hutchinson might be the hungriest fighter Buatsi has ever faced and he will make this one a battle. But it is a battle Buatsi can win.

I think the Scotsman’s pursuit of greatness will play right into Buatsi’s hands. Hutchinson is a consummate boxer but Buatsi can hit. It has been a while since Buatsi has finished anyone, but stylistically I think the openings will be there to do it here.

My pick is Buatsi to win by stoppage at odds of 7/5.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.