Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson will fight for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight world title in their Manchester rematch on 7 November after David Benavidez relinquished the belt to continue his career at cruiserweight. The Ring reported that the World Boxing Council had formally sanctioned the Manchester contest for its vacant 175lb championship following confirmation from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman that Benavidez had vacated.
The rematch will now be contested for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title. The winner will leave Manchester as the WBC’s recognised light-heavyweight titleholder, according to the governing body’s confirmation reported by The Ring.
Benavidez’s decision follows his move up in weight. The report said the unbeaten Benavidez holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles and is due to box Michal Cieslak for the vacant WBC cruiserweight championship on 5 December in Phoenix, Arizona. The WBC’s statement described Cieslak as its interim cruiserweight champion and Benavidez as the challenger for that contest.
Why the WBC title became vacant
The WBC said Benavidez had notified it that he would campaign at cruiserweight. Its statement, as reported by The Ring, says Benavidez reserves the right to challenge for the WBC light-heavyweight championship in future.
Benavidez had been the division’s WBC champion after being elevated in April 2025, when Dmitry Bivol relinquished the title during an ordered fight involving Benavidez, The Ring reported. Benavidez subsequently defended the full title against Anthony Yarde in November 2025.
Before becoming full champion, Benavidez had won the interim WBC belt by beating Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June 2024 and retained that interim championship against David Morrell in February 2025, according to the report. The Ring said he had fought three times at light-heavyweight during his recent run in the division.
A world-title opportunity in Manchester
The WBC’s sanctioning gives Buatsi and Hutchinson an opportunity that had not been available while Benavidez held the championship. The fight is listed as their rematch and is scheduled for Manchester on 7 November.
For either boxer, the title status makes the contest more than a chance to settle a previous pairing. The winner will take possession of a major light-heavyweight championship at a point when the division’s immediate WBC picture has been altered by Benavidez’s choice to remain at cruiserweight.
The WBC also said it would review all weight categories during its 64th annual convention in Acapulco, Mexico, from 8 to 13 November. According to its statement, the review will cover eliminators, final eliminators and mandatory challengers. The convention is due to begin one calendar day after the Manchester rematch, so the WBC’s review is scheduled to follow immediately after the vacant-title bout.
That timing does not establish any particular next opponent for the Manchester winner. It does, however, place the WBC’s stated review of eliminator and mandatory positions directly after the championship vacancy is filled, while Benavidez retains the right to seek the light-heavyweight title in future.
Benavidez targets cruiserweight honours
Benavidez has said he will continue at cruiserweight. The report said Benavidez made his cruiserweight debut on 2 May and stopped Gilberto Ramirez within six rounds.
The report also listed Benavidez as unbeaten in 32 professional contests, with 26 knockouts, and said he is a former 168lb titleholder. His scheduled meeting with Cieslak on 5 December therefore comes less than a month after Buatsi and Hutchinson are due to contest the WBC belt Benavidez relinquished.
The two developments run in parallel rather than as a confirmed future chain of events: Benavidez is pursuing further cruiserweight success, while Buatsi and Hutchinson have been approved to fill the championship vacancy at light-heavyweight. The immediate certainty is that their 7 November rematch now has a WBC world title at stake.