A rival in Buatsi’s corner
Anthony Yarde has an odd message for Joshua Buatsi: win. Speaking to Sky Sports, Yarde said he wants his domestic rival to beat Willy Hutchinson on November 7 at the AO Arena in Manchester, where the vacant WBC light-heavyweight world title is on the line. A Buatsi victory would take the pair a step closer to a fight that has been floated since Buatsi turned professional after winning bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Yarde’s reasoning is about size. He says he has shown he will fight anyone and that once fans and pundits demanded Buatsi, he wanted to make it happen. He calls it the logical fight, and he would rather have that bout in England for a world title than a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he has been linked with David Benavidez and Artur Beterbiev. He insists that is about the scale of the contest, not about picking an easier opponent.
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Entertainment value, and a jab
Yarde could not resist a dig. He described Buatsi as being as boring as watching paint dry outside the ring, and said Hutchinson is far more entertaining away from the cameras, which he considers a real part of the business. Even so, he wants Buatsi to come through, because a world title on the line would draw the public interest the fight deserves.
What Buatsi faces first
Hutchinson is not a stranger. The two met in 2024, when Buatsi knocked Hutchinson down twice on his way to a decision win. Yarde is now publicly hoping for a repeat. Until Buatsi gets through that test, the long-anticipated meeting between the two light heavyweights stays on hold, as it has for years.
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