Free agent Richardson Hitchins encouraged Teofimo Lopez to face off with him on Saturday night for the camera for a fake PR moment at Danny Garcia’s final fight against Daniel Gonzalez at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Fake Face-Off for the Cameras
Teofimo accommodated IBF light welterweight champion Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs), posing for the face-off to get fans and the media talking about them.
The Brooklyn, New York native, Hitchins, recently left promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom to become a free agent. He mistakenly assumed that there would be a mad rush for his services following his eighth-round knockout win over George Kambosos Jr. on June 14th.
The bigger paydays that Hitchins thought would magically materialize once he’d become a free agent haven’t happened. Moreover, the high-profile fights that Hitchins figured he would get as a free agent remain elusive.
Turki Turns His Back
Inside the ring after the fight, Hitchins said he was now a free agent. He turned out to have made an enormous mistake, as Turki Alalshikh reportedly said that he wouldn’t work with him unless he were back with Hearn. It’s too late now for that.
Burned Bridge with Eddie Hearn
Now that Richardson has burned his bridges with Hearn, it’s doubtful that he’ll take him back. Hearn felt betrayed by the way Hitchins blindsided him by announcing inside the ring that he was a free agent. Before that, Hearn had hoped to negotiate a contract extension.
Crawling Back or Fading Out?
Hitchins may have to come back crawling on his hands and knees if he wants to be taken back by Hearn, and I’m not sure he will.
The chances of Teofimo Lopez helping out Hitchins in his hour of need are slim and none. He’s not going to fight a defensive fighter and relive the experience he went through in his fights against Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz.
The fighters are interested in fighting Hitchins, but he’s not eager to face them. These three have shown interest in fighting Hitchins, but the feelings haven’t been mutual:
- Ernesto Mercado
- Gary Antuanne Russell
- Subriel Matias
WHO WINS THIS⁉️@HeIsRichardson 🆚 @TeofimoLopez pic.twitter.com/28Cg9n8DtZ
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 19, 2025
Jeepers Isaac has been covering boxing since 2020, bringing readers sharp ringside insights and timely analysis on the sport’s biggest moments.