Willy Hutchinson says his career is on the line when he faces Mark Jeffers on Saturday at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena - and he hasn’t held back when discussing the state of the light heavyweight scene in Britain.
The 27-year-old Hutchinson, ranked No. 8 by the WBC, is coming off a decision loss to Joshua Buatsi last year at Wembley Stadium. Now based in Malaga and reunited with coach Miko Wolf, the Scot believes a win over Jeffers, who is moving up from super middleweight, will put him back on track toward a rematch with Buatsi.
“I’ve got massive respect for Mark Jeffers taking this fight,” Hutchinson said. “But if I do a job on him, then what? He’s got everything to lose, and so do I. The winner moves on, the loser’s got nowhere to go.”
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Hutchinson also had strong words for fellow domestic contender Ben Whittaker, claiming the Olympic silver medallist would be “better going to Misfits” than pursuing a career at light heavyweight.
“Unless people don’t see what I see, boxing is not for him,” Hutchinson said. “He’ll get found out before he ever gets near me. I’ll be world champion when he does. He’d have a better chance at cruiserweight than at light heavy.”
Despite his own setbacks, Hutchinson insists he belongs at world level. He’s openly called for a British light heavyweight tournament, pointing to Frank Warren’s stable - which includes Buatsi, Anthony Yarde, Lyndon Arthur and others - as ideal for such a format.
While many view Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol as the clear No. 1 and No. 2 in the division, Hutchinson disagrees, arguing that David Benavidez and David Morrell could beat them and insisting he, too, can compete with the very best.
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