Upstairs in a stylish bar area, Hutchinson bounces between interviews in his usual hyperactive manner.

Buatsi beat Hutchinson via split decision on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard in September 2024. This time, the vacant WBC light heavyweight title will await the victor at Manchester's AO Arena on November 7.

Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) is a calm character who doesn’t speak without thinking and never says anything he doesn’t mean. In complete contrast, Hutchinson (20-2, 14 KOs) has a scattergun approach to life.

Having already been through the dance with Hutchinson once, Buatsi can now arrive for a day of media obligations knowing exactly what to expect. Nonetheless, the thought of being reacquainted with somebody as erratic must cause someone as composed and considered as him to take a deep breath before leaving his hotel that morning.

“No, I think you try not to read into anything too much and understand that with our sport, someone's going to say something but ultimately we still have to fight,” Buatsi told The Ring.

“You're right that when it's the actual day of stuff like this, you don't know how it's going to be but I'm not bothered today. Whatever you [Hutchinson] want to do, do it because we've been there before and fought. I have experience with that [behavior] now so I'm a lot cooler today.”

The buildup to Saturday’s rematch has been much calmer than the first fight. The two repeatedly clash and tempers boiled over once cameras stopepd rolling on a “Gloves Are Off” style head-to-head.

It was out of character but something Buatsi clearly deemed necessary. Once fight week rolled around, Buatsi reverted to type. He expertly shut out the pre-fight noise and calmly dealt with Hutchinson’s unpredictability.

Buatsi had a nervous wait as the scores were read out. He more than deserved the split decision, having twice dropped the Scotsman with body shots and appearing to control most of the contest.

“I was just trying to think about what I have to do and that he's going to do everything, be everywhere and all over the place," The Ring's No. 5 light heavyweight said.

“That I have to just stay focused on what I have to do, listen to my corner and just keep applying myself.”

Did Hutchinson do anything forcing him to deviate from his plan?

“No, it was as I expected. He said so many things prior that I was like, 'this is not true, where did you get this from?' The beauty is that when you fight, you get to show everyone what the truth is and you saw that last fight.”

Hutchinson had barely made it back to his locker room before campaigning for a rematch and has used social media to beat the drum at almost every opportunity since.

Buatsi may not have felt the need to reply but hasn’t been upset or offended by Hutchinson’s relentless campaign.

“I think you have to do what you're comfortable with,” he said. “I'm a bit on the quiet side but that's just how I've been naturally and he's not, but that's how he's been naturally too. As long as you're being authentically yourself, I think, whatever.”

Buatsi departed with the WBO interim belt over his shoulder but with full champion Artur Beterbiev embroiled in a rivalry with Dmitry Bivol, he accepted a February 2025 bout against Callum Smith. He lost his title via 12-round unanimous decision after combining to produce one of the year's best fights.

At times, Buatsi’s progress has been frustratingly slow and at other points, boxing politics has held him up. This time, things have fallen in his favor.

The Hutchinson rematch was originally scheduled to be for interim WBC honors but David Benavidez's decision to relinquish his title, chasing further cruiserweight glory, means the full title will be on the line this Saturday.

The ultra professional Buatsi is incredibly dedicated but there has always been a nagging feeling his best is yet to come. His biggest night now lies ahead and he's sure that he is perfectly prepared for it.

“There's a phrase that's in my mind at the moment and it's ‘in-season’,” he said.

“When you're in-season and things are happening for you, good. When you're out of season, when no one's really talking and your name's not being said, just make sure you're training. Make sure you're doing things, living a life and being the human being that you are as well.

“When it's time to take things to another level in training, make sure you're ready and you do it. It's something I'm used to, it's just about being flexible.”