Chaos as followers brawl earlier than Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson bout at AO Arena
A massive brawl broke out in the stands at the AO Arena in Manchester during the Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson rematch card
A fight broke out in the crowd at AO Arena(Image: DAZN)
A huge ringside scuffle erupted at the AO Arena during the undercard of Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson. Security scrambled to step in early during Jack Rafferty’s bout against Hovhannes Martirosyan.
The eagerly awaited rematch between Buatsi and Hutchinson took place on Saturday night, following their first encounter in September 2024 for the vacant WBO Interim Light-Heavyweight World Championship.
Buatsi claimed victory via split decision in their initial meeting, with Hutchinson pushing hard to secure a second crack at his rival. This time around, the vacant WBC Light-Heavyweight World Championship was the prize.
Yet while the action inside the ring heated up, things also boiled over in the stands as the undercard got underway in Manchester, with unruly spectators trading blows with one another.
Footage circulating on social media showed a number of fans exchanging punches while security staff waded in to separate them. Several other onlookers were momentarily knocked to the ground in the chaos.
Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources.
Order was eventually restored as a large number of venue staff piled in to quell the disorder. The affected section of the arena was left looking worse for wear, with spilt drinks and overturned chairs scattered across the floor.
Rafferty’s contest continued uninterrupted, with the fighter going on to claim a unanimous decision victory over Martirosyan. The latter was deemed to have been knocked down in the 12th round after he tumbled through the ropes.
Rafferty said following the contest: “These fans got me through tonight. He was fit and strong and healthy. I watched all of his fights and he is tough. I appreciate him and everyone who steps into the ring.”
The preliminary bouts had proceeded smoothly before the disturbance amongst spectators. Gully Powar defeated Zak Miller while Brad Rea halted Ezra Taylor.
Miller’s contest was especially brutal. The referee called a halt in the 10th round due to severe facial swelling sustained by Miller.
DAZN broadcasters Ade Oladipo and Carl Frampton were visibly shocked by the damage. Frampton remarked: “That is the worst I’ve ever seen. That was shocking. You have to feel for the kid. He was in a lot of pain.”
Ringside doctors took one glance at Miller’s deformed head before calling the fight off
Oladipo continued: “I’ve seen some hematomas in the sport, but that is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
As the bout-stopping damage resulted from an unintentional head collision, the evenly matched encounter was decided by the judges. Miller endured a twin setback, dropping a unanimous verdict (96-95, 97-95, 96-94) as Powar captured the British featherweight crown.
