When Joshua Buatsi arrives at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, there will be no seeking out familiar faces – not even a face as familiar as Anthony Joshua’s.
And to Buatsi, Joshua’s face is even more familiar than it is to the average boxing fan. The two Joshuas have been good friends for years, and Saturday will mark the fourth time they have shared a fight card. In 2017 and 2018, Buatsi competed on the undercard of “AJ”’s victories over Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. In 2019, Buatsi was there at Madison Square Garden to do a job when Joshua, for the first time in his professional career, failed to do his own and lost to Andy Ruiz Jr.
And on Saturday, Buatsi will be there again, facing Willy Hutchinson at Wembley before Joshua headlines against Daniel Dubois, the reigning IBF heavyweight champion.
Still, there won’t be time for niceties. “We’re very much in our own lanes [on those days],” Buatsi tells The Independent. “I understand that he’s got something to do, I’ve got something to do. It’s not time to be chatting to each other – it’s not time to be talking to a lot of people, bro.
“When it’s time to fight, I don’t want to have pointless conversations with someone, so I won’t have a pointless conversation with another boxer either.”
Buatsi, who has stayed unbeaten while his friend has faltered, will box Hutchinson for the WBO interim light-heavyweight title. But this is a different mission to those in Cardiff and New York. “Those were so early in my career,” Buatsi remembers. “They were six-rounders… I’d love to have a six-rounder now! And they’re opponents you’re expected to beat quite easily.”
Buatsi, 31, is still the favourite against Hutchinson, 26, with 12 rounds scheduled in London. But there can be no oversights, not with an interim title on the line – and a potential clash against Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol, as those champions prepare for their undisputed fight in October.
“It’s quite simple,” Buatsi says. “I think Hutchinson boxed well against Spider [Craig Richards, in May]. Many people probably had Spider to win, and [Hutchinson] proved everyone wrong. I think he’s a good fighter, he wouldn’t be fighting for the interim title if he wasn’t. I think it’s just about understanding what’s at stake: it’s very important. But the pressure from the media and everyone else is always gonna be there, it’s been there for seven years, so that’s pretty much irrelevant.”
Just as Buatsi did in 2022, Hutchinson outpointed Richards, as part of the Matchroom vs Queensberry card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hutchinson helped Queensberry to a total rout that night, but Matchroom’s fighters were still winners: benefitting from the considerable money that the Saudis have invested in boxing this year. All the while, watching from afar was Boxxer, which promotes Buatsi and has – until now – aired fights exclusively on Sky Sports.
“Being at Boxxer, seeing the other cards, you were on the sideline,” Buatsi admits. “I was thinking, ‘I don’t see people from Boxxer fighting on these cards.’” That has started to change, as exhibited by this week’s Saudi-staged show at Wembley, which features Buatsi and Boxxer colleague Liam Smith. “Out of nowhere you get the call, you get the offer; you take it,” Buatsi says. Simple. “It’s nice to not be missing out on something like this, because no one knows how long it’s gonna be here for.”
If Buatsi sees off Hutchinson, he will be in line for the winner of Beterbiev vs Bivol. But the Briton sees the bigger picture.
“Of course, if Bivol and Beterbiev have a rematch, no one’s going to get to fight for the belts,” Buatsi says. “So, a fight with Anthony Yarde would be good in the meantime. That’s a fight that, here in England, people go mad about, so it’s something I’d definitely like to get done. Then fight for the world title. Win the world title. It’s quite straightforward with me, where I’m at now; we don’t have to look at other stuff.”
Beterbiev vs Bivol has fans divided. The two champions, both of Russian heritage, have contrasting styles – but styles that have forged unbeaten records and secured world titles.
Bivol, 33, holds the WBA belt. He picks apart his opponents with volume, and has won around half of his fights via stoppage. Beterbiev, 39, owns the WBC, WBO and IBF straps. He obliterates his foes: 20 fights, 20 KOs.
“I’m unable, unfortunately, to pick a winner,” Buatsi says. “It’s hard. This week, I might tell you ‘this guy’, then next week I might change my mind. We’re gonna have to sit and watch. I genuinely cannot tell you who I think is gonna win.” First, though: “We need to win the fight with Hutchinson and get the interim title.”
A logical perspective. But when it’s put to Buatsi that he is a sensible, logical thinker, he says with a smirk: “I seem to be those things, but…”
And within hours, footage emerges of Buatsi clashing with Hutchinson after a joint interview, putting his hand around his opponent’s neck. That was a time for talking, not fighting. And as Buatsi said at the start: Saturday is a time for fighting, not talking.
