WBO Mandates Buatsi vs Hutchinson Bout Following Yarde's Inactivity.

Posted 3 months ago

The WBO has instructed England's Joshua Buatsi and Scotland's Willy Hutchinson to compete for the interim light-heavyweight title.

The anticipation was high for a summer showdown between Londoners Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde, with the winner set to challenge WBO champion Artur Beterbiev.

However, Yarde, 32, citing a "contractual dispute" with his long-time promoters Queensberry, left the fight in limbo.

Following the WBO's order for purse bids on May 29, Yarde had 72 hours to confirm in writing whether he would face Buatsi.

Unfortunately, the deadline passed without a response, prompting the WBO to pivot towards Buatsi and Scotland's Willy Hutchinson for negotiations.

Ben Shalom, the promoter for Boxxer, who manages Buatsi, wanted extra time from the WBO to talk with Yarde about a fight. But then Queensberry asked if Hutchinson could be in the mix instead.

Hutchinson is 25 years old and just won a big fight against Craig Richards at a recent event. He has won 18 out of 19 fights and got the WBC silver light-heavyweight title by beating Richards.

Buatsi, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, hasn't lost any of his 18 fights so far.