Joshua Buatsi, Willy Hutchinson pulled apart ahead of Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois undercard bout
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Published 10/09/2024 at 17:13 GMT+1
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As Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois prepare to do battle in their heavyweight contest at Wembley, the undercard will feature a bout for the interim WBO light-heavyweight title between Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson with no love lost between the two men. Things almost spilled over as the two went head-to head with TNT Sports pundit Carl Frampton with security needed to separate the pair.
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Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson had to be physically pulled apart as tensions boiled over ahead of their light-heavyweight clash on September 21.
The undercard of the huge heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will see the two men battle for the interim WBO title at a sold-out Wembley Stadium and live on TNT Sports Box Office.
However, championship gold will seemingly be a secondary concern in a fight underpinned by real-life animosity between the pair that almost saw them come to blows at the tail end of a face-to-face interview with TNT’s Carl Frampton.
Several security guards had to restrain the fighters as Buatsi accused Hutchinson of "doing a lot of talking", while the Scot referred to his opponent as an "idiot" and a "clown".
The heat stems from the outcome of a disputed sparing session between both men from years prior, in which Hutchinson claims he gave his rival a "hiding".
Buatsi scoffed at this suggestion, implying that Hutchinson wasn’t being truthful in his assessment.
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“He said I rang his coach and said ‘He gave me a beating, [the] toughest spar I had in my life’…” the Londoner said.
To which Hutchinson interrupted: “No. He said I caused him the biggest nightmares of his life. Forget about even the phone call, I was there. I don’t tell lies.
“I’m telling the honest truth. I was there. I wasn’t going to bring the sparring up until you started acting like a fool.
“I gave him the biggest hiding of his life, when I was 20-years-old. Five years ago. He’s now a 31-year-old man whose had 'life or deaths' with five different men. He’s had a few hard fights.
“I’m 25 years old, I’m young, fresh, hungry and ready to rock and roll, and I believe it’s my time to take over.
"He may be more experienced than me, 100%, but it makes no difference. He’s not 26/27 years old.
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“You haven’t been very consistent with your boxing. We’re going to get in the ring on the 21st of September. I’m going to knock this man spark out on the 21st of September at Wembley.”
Buatsi initially remained restrained during the exchange, dismissing his opponent’s perceived bluster and bragging.
“Brilliant talker, man. I’m going to remain how I am and if he’s going to do the talking, that’s good for me.”
Buatsi, 31, won bronze for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and comes into the fight boasting an undefeated professional record of 18-0.
As for Hutchinson, the only blemish to date on his record is a fifth-round KO defeat to Lennox Clarke back in 2021.
However, the 26-year-old has come back strong, and most recently picked up an impressive decision win over Craig Richards in June in Saudi Arabia.
“The only good man I’ve fought is Craig Richards and now him, and he’s an easier fight than Craig Richards,” Hutchinson taunted Buatsi.
“He [Clarke] knocked you out, stop trying to act like it didn’t happen,” retorted Buatsi.
“And not like it didn’t happen when I battered you in sparring,” Hutchinson fired back.
“That’s a lie!”, responded Buatsi.
The winner of the fight is likely to be propelled into the title picture and a potential showdown with the victor between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who will finally lock horns on October 12 for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown.
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Ahead of that, however, one man must have his hand raised at Wembley.
“I’ll come out on top,” Buatsi said when asked his prediction for the bout. “The answer is always the same, I’ll come out on top.”
Hutchinson was equally bullish about his chances: “The last man said the same. You’ve never been 12 rounds and you can’t do 12 rounds.
“I guarantee I’ll knock him out in five rounds.”
The two men refused to shake hands at the conclusion of the chat and squared up before grabbing one another, forcing security to intervene.
HOW TO WATCH JOSHUA V DUBOIS
Joshua v Dubois on TNT Sports Box Office can be watched on discovery+, EE TV and Prime Video. You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event. It will be available to buy on EE TV and discovery+ from September 13.
discovery+ - TNT Sports Box Office events are available to purchase and watch in the discovery+ app – on smart TVs, computers or mobile devices. Viewers wanting to watch the fight should visit https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/ppv-purchases and follow instructions to subscribe and then purchase the event.
EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.
Prime Video - Customers do not need to have any channel or Prime subscription to access this event. You can find live and upcoming PPV events in the “Live and upcoming events” row on the Prime Video homepage and sports page, or by searching for a specific event title.
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