British rivals Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson will meet in a rematch for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The fight headlines a card that also features Brad Rea vs Ezra Taylor, Zak Miller vs Gully Powar, Jack Turner vs Andres Gregorio, and two super-middleweight bouts. Meanwhile, former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith faces Cheavon Clarke at London's Copper Box Arena on the same night.
How to Follow
Live text commentary begins at 21:00 GMT on the BBC Sport website and app. Coverage throughout fight week is available via the 5 Live Boxing podcast.
Ringwalk Times
Buatsi and Hutchinson are expected to make their ringwalks around 22:00 GMT in Manchester. Billam-Smith and Clarke are also expected around 22:00 GMT in London. All timings are estimated and subject to change.
Undercards
Buatsi vs Hutchinson undercard: Brad Rea vs Ezra Taylor (light-heavyweight), Zak Miller vs Gully Powar (featherweight), Jack Turner vs Andres Gregorio (super-flyweight), John Joe Carrigan vs TBC (super-middleweight), Stephen Clarke vs TBC (super-middleweight).
Billam-Smith vs Clarke undercard: Denzel Bentley vs Shane Mosley Jr (middleweight), Damazion Vanhouter vs Ivan Balaz (heavyweight), Sam Hickey vs Troy Coleman (middleweight), Kayla Allen vs Julia Igel (light-welterweight), Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald (cruiserweight).
Fight Week Schedule
Buatsi-Hutchinson: Wednesday open workouts, Thursday news conference at 13:00 GMT, Friday weigh-in at 17:00 GMT. Billam-Smith-Clarke: Friday ceremonial weigh-in at 18:00 GMT.
Records Comparison
Buatsi (33) holds a 20-1 record with 13 knockouts. He won the WBO interim light-heavyweight title with a split-decision over Hutchinson, lost to Smith in February 2025, then beat Parker by majority decision in November 2025. Hutchinson (20-2, 14 KOs) started 13-0, lost to Lennox Clarke in 2021, rebuilt with five wins, then lost to Buatsi at Wembley. He has since beaten Mark Jeffers and Ezra Taylor.
Title at Stake
The vacant WBC light-heavyweight belt is on the line after American David Benavidez moved up to cruiserweight. Dmitry Bivol holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles and faces Callum Smith in Yekaterinburg on 12 December.
First Fight Recap
The initial meeting took place at Wembley Stadium in September 2024 (later referenced as September 2025) on the undercard of Dubois vs Joshua. Hutchinson started strongly but suffered a cut from a clash of heads in round five. Buatsi scored knockdowns in rounds six and nine; Hutchinson was deducted a point in round seven for use of the head. Buatsi won by split decision (117-108, 115-110, 113-112). Punch stats: Buatsi landed 264 of 600 total punches (191 of 380 power); Hutchinson landed 209 of 566 (157 of 385 power).
Billam-Smith vs Clarke
Billam-Smith (22-2) and Clarke (12-2) first met as amateurs in 2016. Clarke won ABA gold, European silver, Commonwealth bronze, and competed at the Tokyo Olympics. Billam-Smith is a former WBO cruiserweight champion with wins over Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe, but lost to Gilberto Ramirez in a unification attempt. Both have won their last two fights.
