Ghanaian-born British boxer Joshua Buatsi failed to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion after a unanimous decision loss to Willy Hutchinson in a rematch that took place in Manchester on November 7th.
In 2024, the pair met for the first time, and Buatsi emerged victorious by split decision. Hutchinson avenged himself in the rematch to claim the WBC world light heavyweight title.
Each fight is unique, even between the same opponents, and Buatsi seemed a step behind Hutchinson for most of the bout, with his punches feeling a bit slow and laboured.
Hutchinson had the advantage in pace and made Buatsi miss several shots, which may have affected his gas tank. Buatsi rallied in the 11th round with strong combinations, but at that point, the fate of the fight was already set if he did not get a knockout.
Speaking after the fight, Buatsi revealed his disappointment by saying, “There’s no second place in our sport. There’s no well done.”
Buatsi’s bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics raised expectations for him to become a world champion, yet it took 10 years for him to receive a title opportunity.
Another fighter who took some time to become a world champion after Olympic success is newly minted Filip Hrgovic, who defeated Moses Itauma to become the IBF world champion in September.
At 33 years old, Joshua Buatsi is still young and can make the necessary improvements to win a world title in the coming years.
Meanwhile, new champion Willy Hutchinson carves his name into history alongside great Scottish world champions like Ken Buchanan,Ricky Burns and Josh Taylor.