Summary

  • Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson meet for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title in Manchester

  • Buatsi beat fellow Briton Hutchinson by split-decision in September 2024

  • Ringwalks expected at 22:00 GMT

  • Chris Billam-Smith and Cheavon Clarke headline Zuffa Boxing card in London

  • British cruiserweights expected to make ringwalks at 22:00

  • Click 'Get involved' icon to send in your messages

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  1. A new job for Dana White?published at 21:41 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Dana White holds a microphone as he sits at a tableImage source, Getty Images

    Zuffa Boxing front man Dana White is ringside in London tonight as he is the promoter of Chris Billam-Smith against Chev Clarke.

    But he has been made a surprise job offer from Donald Trump...

    US President Trump has asked White, who is also the Ultimate Fighting Championship boss, to be White House press secretary, in a social media post.

    "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Dana, please take the job!"

    It's unclear whether the president's public job offer is genuine. The BBC has asked the White House and TKO Holdings, the parent company of UFC, for comment.

    The vacancy for White House press secretary has been open since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia exited after just a few days on the job.

  2. Hutchinson has a 'bit of vulnerability'published at 21:40 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Retired super-featherweight world champion Barry Jones has concerns over Willy Hutchinson's style, telling 5 Live's Boxing with Steve Bunce: "Hutchinson is real puzzle and technically really gifted, [but] there seems to be a bit of vulnerability.

    "Any boxer who boxes with his hands by his waist, there’s always an issue with a fighter who keeps his shape tremendously well like Buatsi and fires straight down the line, he will find you easy to hit."

  3. CBS eyeing big gunspublished at 21:38 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Chris Billam-Smith has already reached the top when he won the WBO cruiserweight title in May 2023 by beating British rival Lawrence Okolie at the home of his beloved Bournemouth, the Vitality Stadium.

    But the south coast boxer still has big ambitions and is eyeing a shot one day at WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion David Benavidez or Ring Magazine title holder Jai Opetaia.

    Opetaia is heading for a heavyweight showdown with Deontay Wilder next on the undercard of Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua on 11 December in Cardiff before he plans to move back down to cruiserweight.

    While Benavidez is facing Michal Cieslak on 5 December as he looks to add the WBC title to his collection in the division and has been called out recently by heavyweight kingpin Oleksandr Usyk.

    Billam-Smith - who signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing earlier this year - may have to wait a while before getting one of the division's big boys should he beat Chev Clarke tonight.

    Chris Billam-Smith celebrates winning the WBO cruiserweight titleImage source, Getty Images
  4. Prediction - 'Won't be easy'published at 21:36 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Viddal Riley
    British cruiserweight champion

    "Willy Hutchinson will get the win - it's his time. Buatsi is a tough fighter and it won't be easy but when I look at who is fresh and who has the bit between their teeth a little more - I'm backing Hutchinson."

    Prediction - Hutchinson

  5. Hutchinson writes his own scriptpublished at 21:34 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Media caption,

    Hutchinson: At 13, 'I wrote that I'll become WBC champion of the world'

    Willy Hutchinson will be on a mission to realise the dream he wrote about as a 13-year-old when he fights for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title.

    At the final news conference before the championship fight, Hutchinson, 28, explained that he jotted down his boxing goals as a teenager while working with his dad - and becoming WBC champion was at the top.

    After David Benavidez gave up the WBC gold to move up to cruiserweight, a fight that was originally scheduled to be for the interim title was upgraded.

    "I wrote on a pen and book that I'll become Scottish, British, European and world amateur champion," Hutchinson said.

    "On the opposite side of this book - I'm 13 and I still have this book to this day - I wrote that I'll become WBC champion of the world.

    "I already got the silver and the international and now I'm fighting for the main belt."

    Read Charlotte Coates' full preview from Thursday's media conference here.

  6. 'As close as I have seen to Holyfield'published at 21:33 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Barry Jones, speaking on the 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast, said Joshua Buatsi is "as close as I have seen to Evander Holyfield".

    Buatsi won bronze representing Team GB at the 2016 Olympics, and then won his first 19 fights in the professional ranks, collecting 13 victories by knockout.

    "I’m really hard on Buatsi," Jones said.

    "My idea of what Buatsi was going to be when he turned pro from the Olympics is something that we haven’t seen, and also, out of all those fighters [who went to the Games] including Josh Kelly and Joe Cordina have gone on to win world titles. It took time for some of them but they got there.

    "I remember saying he is as close as I have seen to Evander Holyfield to Evander Holyfield. If I was going to sign anybody over all of them it would have been him."

    Evander Holyfield misses a punch during the fight against George Foreman in Atlantic CityImage source, Getty Images
  7. Postpublished at 21:32 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Down in London, Denzel Bentley has Shane Mosley Jr down in the second but the American is coming back after beating the count. It's all going on!

  8. Manchester royalty in the house...published at 21:30 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Mark Berry, better known as Bez, smilingImage source, Queensberry
    Nick Ball watching the boxingImage source, Queensberry
    Anthony Yarde holds up his hand and sits next to George WarrenImage source, Queensberry
  9. Yarde arrives for ringside viewpublished at 21:30 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Charlotte Coates
    BBC Sport at AO Arena, Manchester

    Anthony Yarde was tipped to be here tonight and the man is true to his word. He's just rocked up at ringside!

    Yarde has been in the ring with some of the very best in the light-heavyweight division and came so close to a fight with Joshua Buatsi previously.

    I'm sure he'll have eyes on the winner here.

  10. Postpublished at 21:29 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    This is a real thriller between Jack Rafferty and Hovo Martirosyan as they head into the last two rounds in Manchester in the chief support bout.

  11. Copper Box lower tier around half fullpublished at 21:28 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Dan George
    BBC Sport at Copper Box Arena, London

    Copper Box ArenaImage source, BBC Sport

    Here is my view of the Copper Box Arena as the chief support make their way to the ring.

    The spectators are only in the lower tier tonight and I'd say that right now that lower tier is around 50% full on all four sides.

    There are big "Zuffa Boxing" flags across from us and those in attendance make a decent noise for Denzel Bentley as his name is announced.

  12. Prediction - 'Matured a lot'published at 21:27 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Carl Frampton
    Retired world champion

    "It's a really good fight. I think the first fight was very good - Willy was dropped a couple of times in the fight and that cost him. Otherwise, his performance was OK. He's matured a lot since that fight and is in good form.

    "Buatsi has maybe just started to look old but the fact the world title is on the line... When he turned professional, everyone thought he was a shoo-in to become world champion and he hasn't achieved it yet. This is the chance, so we may see a level of Buatsi that we haven't seen in a while.

    "I think it'll be really competitive but I'm just edging Hutchinson to win on points with the run of form he's on."

    Prediction - Hutchinson

  13. Fight week tensionpublished at 21:26 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Charlotte Coates
    BBC Sport at AO Arena, Manchester

    If anyone thought the build-up around this one was pretty tame and the boxers were being nicey nice, then think again.

    Yesterday’s weigh-in had a tension about it. These two have respect for each other but they aren’t the best of friends and, at the end of the day, the WBC light-heavyweight title is up for grabs.

    Joshua Buatsi has that quiet confidence about him and also has a win over Willy Hutchinson under his belt.

    You wouldn’t know it though with how Hutchinson has handled himself.

    Hutchinson was shouting “and the new” yesterday but will it be his or Buatsi’s hand raised?

  14. 'It's not where you start, it's how you finish'published at 21:24 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Good things come to those who wait - or so hopes Chris Billam-Smith.

    Tonight, he gets the opportunity to end a 10-year wait for revenge when he shares a ring with Cheavon Clarke in London

    The Britons boxed in the final of the 2016 National Championships, with Clarke winning by decision.

    Clarke, 35, went on to enjoy a successful amateur career, fighting at both the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, while Billam-Smith had to wait until the professional ranks to flourish.

    After entering the professional ranks in 2017, Billam-Smith, 36, won British and European titles before his crowning moment of becoming cruiserweight world champion in 2023.

    "It's a message really that it's not where you start, it's how you finish," Billam-Smith told BBC Sport.

    "I think that I get to prove the progress I've made over the last 10 years on Saturday night."

    Read Dan George's full preview here.

  15. How has Buatsi performed since beating Hutchinson?published at 21:22 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Joshua Buatsi's 2024 win over Willy Hutchinson was supposed to lead to a world title fight in his next bout but it didn't work out that way.

    The Briton did land a shot at compatriot Callum Smith and the 'interim' WBO light-heavyweight title in a lucrative clash out in Saudi Arabia in February 2025.

    It was a brilliant fight but Buatsi came up short against the Liverpudlian, who took a deserved unanimous victory.

    Buatsi spent nine months out of the ring but bounced back in November with a victory over Zach Parker.

    It was not a thrilling performance from the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist but he got back to winning ways and put himself back in the world title mix.

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  16. Hutchinson battles back to toppublished at 21:21 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Willy Hutchinson will walk to the ring tonight for the 23rd time as a professional looking to avenge his 2024 defeat by Joshua Buatsi.

    The Scotsman had over a year out of the ring following that loss at Wembley Stadium before returning with a stoppage victory against Mark Jeffers in October 2025.

    Hutchinson, 28, then looked fantastic as he outboxed the unbeaten Ezra Taylor back in March to put himself right back on course for a world title shot.

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  17. Driving back to the top?published at 21:19 GMT

    Billam-Smith v Clarke

    Denzel BentleyImage source, Getty Images

    The co-main event is coming up next down in London. It is Denzel Bentley's debut fight with Zuffa Boxing as the British fighter takes on a son of a boxing icon in Shane Mosley Jr.

    Bentley, 31, was recently stripped of the WBO middleweight title after refusing a clash with Yoenli Hernandez.

    it's not the first issue in Bentley's career. Back in 2024, he was close to becoming a delivery driver.

    Having ended 2024 on a high by winning the British middleweight title for a third time and adding the European crown to his collection, Bentley had every reason to believe a world title fight would be next.

    Meetings with promoter Queensberry offered Bentley hope until fight cards were announced and promises were broken.

    Without a fight purse to rely on, a chance conversation with his cousin almost saw Bentley taking up the role of a delivery driver.

    "After a year out, I thought I needed to do something," Bentley told BBC Sport.

    "I'm not bad with my money and was able to hold myself up to that point but it was starting to bite. My cousin said download the Amazon app and you can get a zero-hour contract. It was an app where you could check in and see if there was delivery work in your area.

    "I downloaded it and signed in but there were no jobs in my area. I remember always refreshing and checking but there were no jobs in my area - that's the only reason I didn't do it."

    Read Charlotte Coates' full interview here.

  18. Rematches usually go the same waypublished at 21:17 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Charlotte Coates
    BBC Sport at AO Arena, Manchester

    Usually in boxing, the rematch goes the same way as the first fight.

    We saw Daniel Dubois emphatically beat Fabio Wardley in their heavyweight world title rematch.

    Willy Hutchinson talks the game of a confident man, adamant he can earn revenge, but will that transpire in his performance?

  19. Repeat or revenge?published at 21:15 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    It was back in September 2024 when these Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson met before in the ring on the undercard of Daniel Dubois' stunning knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.

    It was a highly technical bout as two former amateur standouts tussled it out.

    Buatsi had his man down once in the sixth and the ninth while the Scotsman was also deducted one point in the 7th for use of the head.

    Most felt the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist was a fairly comfortable winner but it was actually a split decision with one judge scoring it for Hutchinson 113-112 while the other two were 117-108 and 115-110 in favour of the worthy winner.

    Buatsi handed Hutchinson his first - and so far only - professional defeat.

    More of the same tonight or has Hutchinson improved to get revenge?

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  20. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 21:13 GMT

    Buatsi v Hutchinson 2

    Manchester's AO Arena has had various sponsorship names through the years but it was made famous as a boxing venue when known as the Manchester Evening News Arena and Ricky Hatton was packing it out.

    'The Hitman' made it his home as he rose through the ranks culminating in his crowning glory against Kostya Tszyu in June 2005 when he won the IBF light-welterweight title by stopping the great champion.

    That was one of THE nights at the Manchester venue.

    A personal favourite was the night Carl Frampton beat Scott Quigg in 2016. The super-bantamweight world title fight wasn't a thrilling bout but the atmosphere in there that evening was electric.

    What is your favourite boxing moment at the Manchester Arena?

    Let us know in the Get Involved section.

    Ricky Hatton celebrates beating Kostya Tszyu in 2005Image source, Getty Images