Willy Hutchinson Edges Joshua Buatsi in WBC Rematch

Willy Hutchinson gets the win, the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title and a measure of revenge over Joshua Buatsi. The scorecards were tight on two of the three cards, while Bradley Rea’s second-round stoppage and the troubling end to Zak Miller’s title fight also stood out on a busy bill.

Main Event: Willy Hutchinson Defeats Joshua Buatsi

Willy Hutchinson (21-2-0) outpointed Joshua Buatsi (20-2-0) by unanimous decision over 12 rounds to claim the vacant WBC World Light Heavy title. The judges scored it 115-113, 117-112 and 115-113 for Hutchinson.

Two cards had it by just two points, so this was no runaway on the scorecards. Hutchinson gets the result that matters, though, and Buatsi leaves with a second defeat on his record.

Co-Main / Key Fights

Jack Rafferty (28-0-1) kept his unbeaten record and took the vacant IBO welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Hovhannes Martirosyan (20-2-0). The 12-round scorecards read 116-111, 114-113 and 116-111. Martirosyan went down late in the final round, but Rafferty had already done enough across the cards.

Bradley Rea (23-2-0) stopped Ezra Taylor (13-2-0) at 0:58 of round two. Taylor was dropped twice in the round before the referee stepped in. A sharp statement from Rea.

Other Title Fight

Gully Powar beat Zak Miller by technical unanimous decision after 10 rounds to win the vacant BBBofC British featherweight title. The bout was halted on the doctor’s advice after a head clash caused swelling to Miller’s left eye and head. The judges’ scores were 96-95, 97-95 and 96-94 for Powar.

 

Undercard

Stephen Clarke (11-0-0) outpointed Harley Collison (3-10-2) over eight rounds. The referee’s card was 80-72.

John Joe Carrigan (5-0-0) knocked out Cheikh Diop (6-2-0) in round four, with the stoppage recorded at 1:50.

Tony Yoka (16-3-0) earned a points win over Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko (10-21-1) after six rounds. The referee scored it 59-55.

Javokhir Ummataliev (3-0-0) went the distance with Atacayte Santana (4-4-2), taking a six-round points decision by 59-55.

Alex Arthur Jr (6-0-0) stayed unbeaten with a six-round points win over Jose Aguirre (2-32-0). The referee’s score was 60-54.

Tumi Phillips (7-1-0) beat Angelo Dragone (10-17-1) on points over four rounds, 40-37.

Closing

Hutchinson leaves with the title after a close decision, Rafferty adds the IBO belt, and Rea made his night brief. The Miller-Powar stoppage was a stark moment on a card that had plenty to discuss.

Prelims Live Stream