A ringside brawl broke out at the AO Arena during the undercard of Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson, with security rushing to intervene early on during Jack Rafferty's fight against Hovhannes Martirosyan.
Chaos in the crowd
The highly anticipated rematch between Buatsi and Hutchinson took place on Saturday night, following their initial clash in September 2024 for the vacant WBO Interim Light-Heavyweight World Championship. Buatsi secured a split-decision victory in their first meeting, with Hutchinson determined to earn a second opportunity against his opponent.
On this occasion, the vacant WBC Light-Heavyweight World Championship was up for grabs. However, while the action intensified inside the ring, tensions also flared in the crowd as the undercard commenced in Manchester, with disorderly spectators coming to blows.
Video footage circulating on social media captured numerous fans throwing punches while security personnel intervened to break them up. Several other spectators were briefly knocked to the floor amid the commotion.
Security restores order
Control was eventually re-established as a substantial number of venue staff moved in to suppress the disturbance. The affected area of the arena was left in disarray, with spilt beverages and upturned chairs strewn across the floor.
Rafferty's bout continued without interruption, with the fighter proceeding to secure a unanimous decision triumph over Martirosyan. The latter was ruled to have been knocked down in the 12th round after tumbling through the ropes.
Rafferty commented after the fight: "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."
Undercard results
The undercard fights had progressed without incident before the disruption amongst the crowd. Gully Powar overcame Zak Miller while Brad Rea stopped Ezra Taylor. Miller's fight was particularly gruelling.
The referee intervened in the 10th round owing to severe facial swelling suffered by Miller. DAZN commentators Ade Oladipo and Carl Frampton were visibly stunned by the injury. Frampton observed: "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."
Oladipo added: "I've seen some hematomas in the sport, but that is one of the worst I've ever seen."
As the fight-ending injury stemmed from an accidental head clash, the closely contested battle was determined by the scorecards. Miller suffered a double blow, losing a unanimous decision (96-95, 97-95, 96-94) as Powar claimed the British featherweight title.
