Willy Hutchinson grabbed the vacant WBC light heavyweight title off Joshua Buatsi and went straight to calling out whoever wins between Dmitry Bivol and Callum Smith. Going for all the belts sounds great on the microphone, but the loose, free-wheeling style that worked against Buatsi will get him picked apart against either of those two.

Against Buatsi, Hutchinson relied on speed bursts, weird angles, and flipping between orthodox and southpaw to completely baffle a rigid, predictable opponent. Try that against Bivol, though, and it turns into a disaster. You cannot switch stances right in front of a technician like Bivol without squaring your feet up and losing balance. The second Hutchinson gives away his stance, Bivol will drill him down the middle with a straight right.

“We’ll go for undisputed, isn’t it? I want to beat the best, be the best, beat the best. And I’m one of the best now. Got one of the belts,” Hutchinson said after the fight.

Hutchinson likes the idea of the Bivol vs. Smith winner, but his biggest bad habit will be an open invitation for Bivol. Whenever Hutchinson throws his lead left hook, he leaves his chin in the air and pauses to admire his handiwork. Bivol thrives on that exact mistake. He takes a clean step back, makes the shot miss, and snaps back with a check-hook or a 1-2 before his opponent can even tuck their chin. Hutchinson cannot showboat his way out of trouble against a guy who controls the ring that well.

Smith presents a totally different kind of danger. Hutchinson loves throwing wide, flashy flurries, but Smith is deadliest when backed up to the ropes, waiting to uncork a short inside left hook. Trading hooks at mid-range with Smith is asking to get caught. To beat Smith, Hutchinson would have to abandon the circus act, use a stiff jab to keep range, target Smith’s tall body, and make Smith come forward so that counter hook stays locked away.

Then there is the Ben Whittaker option. Hutchinson shrugged and said he would take the fight, but it makes zero sense for his career right now.

Whittaker hates fighting on his back foot, and Hutchinson has the hand speed and awkward angles to give him nightmares. Still, both guys rely on athletic reflexes instead of solid defense. Taking on Whittaker is pure risk. If Hutchinson slips up, he blows his new WBC belt on a domestic scrap and waves goodbye to massive unification paydays in Saudi Arabia.

It ultimately comes down to boxing politics. If mandatory defenses or rematch clauses hold up the Bivol vs. Smith winner, Hutchinson will have to decide whether to stay busy with a simple defense or risk it all in a domestic clash.

Hutchinson finally has the belt he wanted. Keeping it means figuring out that the wild, erratic showmanship that worked on domestic rivals will get him dismantled against the elite at 175.