Joshua Buachi has claimed his opponent Willie Hutchinson was “rude” before they wrestled before the fight was announced, adding that Hutchinson was “lying” about his sparring claims.
The two fighters will battle for the WBO interim light heavyweight title on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley on Saturday night. Sky Sports Box OfficeThere is a good chance that there will be a winner in the decisive showdown between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev next month.
Since Bouachi turned pro, 18 men have tried to beat him, but all have failed. Hutchinson looked confident that he would succeed and managed to shake up the usually easy-going Bouachi.
Hutchinson and Bouachi had already been exchanging insults ahead of their 12-round bout on Saturday, and when the fight was announced, the tension mounted and a tense standoff ensued. In fact, Bouachi grabbed Hutchinson by the throat.
As for the argument before the fight, Boucher thinks it should be downplayed: “I felt it was a little bit rude. Not that much. I just thought, this guy is a little annoying.
Buatsi and Hutchinson will battle for the WBO interim light heavyweight title on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
“I thought I’d talk to him after this was over. That was it. It started out as a conversation, and then I got to hold him. It was nothing.
“We shouldn’t blink at that reaction. We’ve seen worse and worse things can happen. So when there’s a fuss about me grabbing someone, I think it was grabbing. It could have been a lot worse. Come on.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal, but people were like, ‘We’ve never seen you like that before’… But as always, we jumped into the fray and fought to be the best.
“He took a different approach. Maybe it was the right approach for him… I can’t read too much into it. He was strangled two months ago.
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Buatsi and Hutchinson exchanged cold eyes ahead of Joshua and Dubois’ fight at Wembley.
“Is he digging a hole for himself? Or whatever? We’re going to fight. That’s enough for me. It’s not like, ‘This is going to make it worse for him,’ but that’s it.
“There are 12 rounds so we’ll find out… I know what I’m going to show and what I’m going to bring when I get in the ring.
“I’m glad to be here… This fight is in front of me, and it’s for the Interim (title). Everyone should know that this is a great opportunity.”
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Hutchinson made a bizarre analogy about facing Boucher during his open workouts.
Hutchinson has previously claimed he “punched” Boucher in sparring, but the 31-year-old is adamant the Scot made the claim up.
“When someone plays hide and seek with you, no matter what happens, you always remember that person. You never forget that person. I played hide and seek with a guy in Ghana… and I never forgot it.
“I was 18. I’ll never forget it. When he (Hutchinson) said that, I thought, you’re lying. I remember hiding it in Ghana. I’ll remember that, so why are you saying that?
“From his perspective, you know it happened.”
The heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will be broadcast live on Saturday, September 21. Sky Sports Box Office. Book your Joshua v Dubois match now!
