Richardson Hitchins reiterated today that he’s willing to go up to 147 to fight the winner of the November 22nd fight between WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. and Devin Haney.
The Easiest Route Possible
The Brooklyn, New York native Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) wants a straight title shot in his first fight at 147 rather than earning it by fighting the top contenders waiting in the WBO’s rankings. It’s a backwards way of trying to get a title shot, and it may not work given that Hitchins isn’t popular with casual fans. It’s a formula. Beat a soft opponent, then call out fighters that are beyond your pay grade who have earned their way.
No Matias, No Russell
Richardson is not showing a willingness to fight the top contenders or champions at 140 to become popular. Instead of Richardson fighting the top guys at 140, like Gary Antuanne Russell and Subriel Matias, he’s content with fighting George Kambosos Jr.
“I can promise you that it’s going to be a solid opponent, but I can’t promise you I won’t make him look like a cupcake,” said Richardson Hitchins to Ring Magazine about his next fight. “After my victory over Kambosos, I called out guys like Devin Haney. I called out Teofimo Lopez.”
The only two notable contenders in the IBF’s top 15 contender rankings are Jamaine Ortiz and Ernesto Mercado. It’s highly unlikely Hitchins is going to fight either of those two because they would have an excellent chance of making him look like a cupcake.
Hitchins’ manager, Keith Connolly, is unlikely to choose Jamaine or Tito Mercado as his next opponent, because they might take away his bargaining chip by dethroning him of his IBF 140-lb title. We saw how much trouble Hitchins had with Gustavo Lemos on April 6, 2024, winning a questionable 12-round unanimous decision.
Many boxing fans felt that Lemos deserved the victory in that fight. To say that Hitchins was exposed was an understatement. The judges gave him the decision by scores of 117-111, 115-113, and 115-113. He didn’t appear to be the winner. The fight showed that Hitchins is vulnerable to pressure. He’s got that ugly Haney and Shakur-esque style. The kryptonite for that style is pure pressure.
Entitled Ambition
“I’m willing to go up to 147 and challenge some of the champions up there,” said Hitchins. “At 140, make some unifications happen. It’s all about making the biggest fights for me. I’m champion now. I’m in my prime. It’s time for me to prove to the world who Richardson Hitchins is.”
If Hitchins wants to fight the top guys at 140, he should start doing it because he’s been called out by the belt-holders at the top contenders repeatedly without agreeing to fight any of them. These fighters have called out Hitchins:
- Gary Antuanne Russell
- Subriel Matias
- Alberto Puello
- Keyshawn Davis
- Ernesto Mercado
“I’m willing to go up to 147 in my first fight and challenge the winner of Devin Haney and Brian Norman for the WBO world championship. After a great victory over Kambosos, I felt it was fair to me to say I was a free agent to see what the best offers that will come to me,” said Hitchins.
What Hitchins should do if he wants to fight for a world title at welterweight is vacate his IBF 140-lb title first. Then move up and work his way through these contenders to earn a title shot:
- Shakhram Giyasov
- Karen Chukhadzhian
- Eimantas Stanionis
- Raul Curiel
A Fanbase That Isn’t There
Earlier this week, Teofimo Lopez rejected the idea of fighting Hitchins, saying the networks and promoters don’t want to pay him the money he’s asking for due to a lack of a fanbase. Lopez says to the 10-8 Podcast that Hitchins wants “X amount of money that promoters at networks are not willing to give to him just yet, because he needs to build that fanbase around him.”
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