Willy Hutchinson got his revenge, and a world title with it. The Scottish light heavyweight outpointed Joshua Buatsi over 12 rounds Saturday night at Manchester's AO Arena, winning a unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBC light heavyweight championship and avenge his lone professional loss.

Judges scored the rematch 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113, all in Hutchinson's favor, according to Yahoo Sports' round-by-round coverage of the card. It's the first world title of Hutchinson's career and a jarring reversal for Buatsi, who had been unbeaten at the time of the rematch and widely regarded as one of the division's elite operators.

Settling a score from 2024

The two Brits first met in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, with Buatsi grinding out a split decision to claim an interim WBO title — a fight close enough, and contentious enough on the scorecards, that a rematch felt inevitable almost from the final bell. Hutchinson spent the following two years publicly campaigning for a second shot, and Saturday's bout was finally billed as a point-to-prove rematch for the vacant WBC strap, with the winner expected to be in prime position for a shot at a unified or marquee light heavyweight matchup.

A POINT TO PROVE, AND A TITLE TO SHOW FOR IT

By most accounts, Hutchinson controlled large stretches of the fight, with Buatsi mounting a late push in the championship rounds that narrowed the cards but came up short. One recap described Buatsi's championship-rounds rally as "too little, too late" — enough to avoid a shutout on the scorecards, not enough to change the outcome.

What's next for both men

The win vaults Hutchinson into the upper tier of a 175-pound division that has been reshuffling all year. Before Saturday, pre-fight speculation already had the winner of this bout positioned as a leading contender to face David Benavidez, who vacated the WBC's full championship to campaign at a higher weight — part of why Saturday's title was contested as a "vacant" belt rather than a direct challenge to a reigning champion.

For Buatsi, the loss snaps what had been a steadily rising trajectory and raises real questions about where he goes next in a crowded light heavyweight field that includes names like Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol at the very top. A rubber match with Hutchinson is the obvious commercial option given how competitive both fights have now been, though neither camp has said anything publicly about a trilogy.

Either way, Manchester got the fight it was promised: two British rivals, a title on the line, and a result nobody can call predictable twice.