That happened at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. On November 7, the 28-year-old from Carstairs in Scotland has the chance to win a professional world title.

The vacant WBC light heavyweight belt will be on the line when Hutchinson (20-2, 14 KOs) and Joshua Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) meet in an intriguing rematch at Manchester’s AO Arena.

Hutchinson is an engaging, unpredictable character, but his outbursts and exploits often overshadow that he has spent almost his entire life entrenched in the sport.

“I started boxing when I was nine years old. I had my first exhibition at 10. I had my first fight at 11. I became a European champion at 16,” Hutchinson told The Ring. “I become amateur world champion at 18. I’m 28 now. Ten years on and in the same month — just two weeks apart — I’m fighting for the WBC championship of the world.”

Hutchinson’s talent has always been beyond question, but potential is no guarantee of future success.

Upon turning professional, Hutchinson joined the famous Ingle Gym in Sheffield.

He had more than enough raw ability to keep up with the star names he was sharing the gym with, but he began to measure his progress against experienced fighters who had become hardened to the day-to-day grind of professional fighting.

In March 2021 he entered a British super middleweight title fight with Lennox Clarke in ultra-confident fashion but was shockingly stopped in five rounds.

“A lot's happened in my life in 10 years I can tell you that. Where has 10 years gone?” he said. “I remember being 19 years old. I put so much pressure on myself as a kid by trying to be the best. When I went to Dominic Ingle's gym, I was training with Kell Brook, Billy Joe Saunders, Kid Galahad, Liam Williams, Robbie Davies Jr., Yves Ngabu who were all world, European and British champions.

“I put so much pressure on myself. Many, many times I left the gym thinking I should have done this or I should have done that and I was only a kid and I was doing very, very good. When I think back it was unbelievable but, back then, I remember thinking, ‘I can do this’ or ‘ can do that’ and it was too much. I put a lot of pressure on myself and the older I got the more I realized. As a kid you do put pressure on yourself, don’t you?”

A happier and a more balanced life away from the sport helped Hutchinson find his feet in the ring, and although he openly admits that he struggles with his emotions between fights, he is now a much more consistent character.

The first sign that he had come of age came in June 2024, when he impressively outboxed Craig Richards on the high-profile 5 Vs. 5 promotional showdown between Queensberry and Matchroom.

That win led him into the first fight with Buatsi. In September 2024, Hutchinson had to get off the floor twice but boxed well before losing a split decision.

He has remained dedicated and entrenched in the top 10 of The Ring rankings since. He sits at No. 7.

Hutchinson’s route to the world title hasn’t been as smooth or as quick as many might have predicted, but he believes his moment has arrived at exactly the right time.

“It's part of life isn’t it? If you’re in boxing or you aren't you're still going to have similar situations aren’t you? The good and the bad, it's life. It’s not just because of boxing, it's life,” he said. “We’ve still got to get up and we've still got to go at it … But I'm in a very, very blessed position from God and I believe me dreams are going to come true.”

To achieve that dream, Hutchinson will have to even the score with The Ring’s No.5 light heavyweight in Buatsi.

Since that first fight, both have boxed twice. Hutchinson cruised past Mark Jeffers and Ezra Taylor. Buatsi lost his unbeaten record after 12 rounds of trench warfare with former super middleweight champion Callum Smith and eked out a close, dull majority decision over Zach Parker.

“I'm training for the best that Buatsi can possibly be. On November 7 he has no chance. He's got more chance of flying to the moon than beating me.,” Hutchinson said. “The best that he’s ever been, whatever it may be, the best he can physically be, he’s got no chance and that's my honest opinion. I believe I'll make easy work of Buatsi. Easy work. Steady work.”