By Mark Eisner: Using the old Mayweather-esque potshot style, Richardson Hitchins (17-0,7 KOs) defeated former three-time light welterweight title challenger Jose Zepeda (37-4, 28 KOs) by a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. (Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.)
The scores were 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109. It was dull at times, as Hitchins fought by a formula of jab, jab, potshot & hold. Rinse & repeat. Zepeda, 34, looked totally shot and unable to pull the trigger.
Live boxing results & updates will be shown below of tonight’s action on this highly anticipated event:
- Conor Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) was successful with his comeback fight tonight in the chief support bout, defeating the tough junior middleweight Rodolfo Orozco (32-4-3, 24 KOs) by a 10 round unanimous decision. The scores were 99-91, 99-91, and 96-94. The bigger fighter, 24-year-old Orozoco, took a lot of punishment but just kept coming forward, pressuring the smaller 5’7 1/2″ Benn, who looked small for the weight class, and giving him problems with his size. Orozco was cut over his right eye from a clash of heads in round two. In rounds three, eight, and nine, Orozco was hurt by headshots from Benn. Somehow, Orozco made it through those rounds without getting stopped. All in all, it was a good performance by Benn. However, the fight showed that Benn doesn’t belong at 154 or 160, as he would taken apart by powerful fighters like Tim Tszyu, Jesus Ramos, and Terence Crawford. Benn could win titles in those weight classes if he’s moved carefully by his promoter, Eddie Hearn, and kept away from the killers.
- WBO female welterweight champion Sandy Ryan (6-1-1, 2 KOs) and IBF, WBA & WBC champ Jessica McCaskill (12-3-1, 5 KOs) to a questionable 10 round draw. The scores were 96-94 for Ryan, 97-93 for McCaskill, and 95-95. Boxing News 24 scored it 96-94 for Ryan. The 30-year-old Ryan landed the harder, cleaner shots.
- Undefeated middleweight contender Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (15-0, 10 KOs) had a tougher time than expected, beating 39-year-old former 160-lb world title challenger Steve Rolls (22-3, 12 KOs) by a ten round unanimous decision. Rolls landed many heavy shots in the fight but wasn’t busy enough, allowing Ammo to use pressure to win the decision. The judges scores were 97-93, 97-93 and 97-93. ‘Ammo’ Williams is going to need to raise his game for him to deal with the better middleweights in the division. Four years ago, Rolls was stopped by Gennadiy Golovkin by a fourth round knockout.
Preview
Richardson Hitchins has a lot of pressure on his shoulders tonight, needing to back up all the boasting he’s been doing about himself for weeks when he faces the hard-nosed light welterweight contender Jose Zepeda in their main event bout on DAZN at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. (Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.)
If Hitchins (16-0, 7 KOs) is the next big thing at 147, he’ll defeat Zepeda (37-3, 28 KOs) efficiently, beating him easier than Regis Prograis did a year ago.
Tonight’s Hitchins vs. Zepeda event will be shown live on DAZN at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Undercard fights
– Conor Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) will be moving up to 154 to fight Rodolfo Orozco (32-3-3, 24 KOs) in a 10 round bout.
– In a female welterweight unification fight, champions Jessica McCaskill & Sandy Ryan will meet in a 10 round fight.
– In middleweight action, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams will take on veteran Steve Rolls in 10 round affair.
Hitchins want big fights
“We don’t know. I don’t know what my team will do. I see he has his sights turned on Ryan Garcia. He’s posting, trying to get a big fight with Ryan Garcia or whatever he’s trying to do,” said Richardson Hitchins to Boxing Social when asked if he thinks he could face fringe contender Montana Love in the future.
“If he’s the truth, we’ll meet paths again. Even if we don’t fight next, if he goes out there and performs and shows that what happened with him [in Montana Love’s sixth round disqualification loss to Steve Spark last November] was just a fluke, the boxing world is going to want to see him and me.
“I’m pretty sure that our promoter is going to want to make that fight happen. It wouldn’t be any reason, but if he ends up fighting another fight to stay busy or something and he doesn’t look that good or he shows that he’s really not that guy, then it would be a fight that really wouldn’t interest me because I want big fights at 140 eventually and time is clicking.
“In the next year, I’ll be a guy, hopefully with a championship belt and looking to unify and do things like that,” said Hitchins.
Conor Benn returning to ring
“Nothing but calmness, to be honest, and more excitement, no nerves as of yet, but no doubt,” said Conor Benn to Matchroom Boxing. “It’s been horrific. Yeah, it’s been hard, it’s been challenging.
“It’s been the hardest fight. So for me, it’s built resilience, strength and I’m just excited to get back in there Saturday night and put this to bed, take it take everything out on my opponent.
“I’ve tried my hardest. Some people will always believe, and some people won’t,” said Benn about his positive test last year for the banned substance clomifene. “I wish it was as straightforward as it should be.
“I’ve done everything I possibly can. I’ve been an open book, which has sometimes been the worst thing about this, but unfortunately, there’s politics involved, there’s rivalries involved, there’s egos involved. When really there should be a confidential process, and it’s just dealt with directly, but unfortunately, it’s just one of those situations where it’s lose-lose,” said Benn.