Willie ready to be top of pro world
Springhill fighter tipped for glory by coach
Springhill ABC boxer Willie Hutchison is making the jump from amateur to professional in the boxing world.
Eighteen- year- old Willie is Scotland’s only world youth champion after he shocked everyone in St Petersburg, Russia last year.
The Shotts fighter defied the odds to grab gold and be crowned world middleweight champion at the biggest amateur tournament going.
While Willie looked on course to join Team Scotland’s 2018 Commonwealth Games team, the Springhill scrapper has opted to move to the professional ranks where he was unveiled last week as part of Hayemaker Boxing’s next crop of talent.
The promotion, ran by former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, welcomed Hutchison and the rest of the Hayemaker stable at a star-studded event in London last week.
Hutchison will be trained by Cuban Ismael Salas who has worked with multiple world champions and at the time of his unveiling, Hutchison said: “It’s went very good because he is a fantastic coach.
“I did a 40- minute coaching session with him and I did more with him than I’ve done in months.
“He has trained 19 world champions so he’s very, very good and there’s a good group of lads and we’re all training together.”
Springhill ABC head coach Frank Delaney believes nothing can stop the world youth champion as he sets out on his professional dream.
Frank is also adamant that Hutchison can fire himself to the top of the rankings in no time.
He said: “Willie is a smashing lad and I’m delighted for him.
“There’s no airs and graces about Willie as he is down to earth and never forgets his roots. Nobody has a bad word to say about Willie and that’s down to how he is as a person.
“I remember Willie told me he was going to be world champion and he did it last year.
“After that he always talked about winning the ‘ big’ world championship so now he’s off to be a professional. He’ll split his time between training down in London and training with us up here.
“When I look at the super middlweight rankings I think Willie could already beat at least half of them in there.
“With a couple of years under his belt and when he turns 21 he can definitely win a championship.
“It’s brilliant for him and it’s a credit to Willie and how he’s performed.”