Richardson Hitchins says that after he beats George Kambosos Jr. on Saturday night, he expects fans and the media to put him in the same class as Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez. He believes that defeating Kambosos (22-3, 10 KOs) will be a big enough win to put him at the same level as those three.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) defends his IBF light welterweight title against the former unified lightweight champion Kambosos this Saturday, June 14th, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event will be shown live on DAZN at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
Kambosos Fight: Hitchins’ Big Test
“I’ve been doing this for so long. People don’t understand what type of pedigree that I come with. People don’t understand the kind of mind that I come with when it comes to boxing,” said Richardson Hitchins to the media.
Hitchins’ amateur pedigree was unimpressive. He finished his amateur career with a 35-12 record, and that isn’t good. His pedigree is marginal, and he’s still not beaten anyone as a pro other than Liam Paro. That was a boring fight.
“These guys, they fight overseas. They come over here, and it’s way different. He beat Teofimo Lopez, but he beat an amateur [version]. He still does amateur s***. I said this after his last fight,” said Hitchins about Kambosos. “I never seen a guy dominate a guy in Arnold Barboza and barely land any punches.”
Richardson still hasn’t gotten over being ignored by Teofimo Lopez. He can’t stop talking badly about him, and he’s clearly bitter that Lopez didn’t choose to fight him.
He’s got to realize that Teofimo doesn’t like fighting runners after his bad experience against Jamaine Ortiz, and he’s not going to agree to the king of the runners, Hitchins, willingly.
The only way Teo would ever agree to fight him is if Turki Alalshikh offered him an absurd amount of money that he would never offer. Turki said yesterday that he’s not interested in fighters who don’t come to engage and just run. So, that rules out Hitchins.
Post-Kambosos: Hitchins’ Elite Class
“George Kambosos beat a Teofimo Lopez that was sick and was still green. But he’s living off of that. But he’s accomplished, and this is a guy on my resume. After I beat this guy, y’all have got to put me up there with the Devin Haneys, Ryan Garcias that never won a world championship. The Teofimo Lopezs. I told these guys two years ago that I was coming, and now I’m here,” said Hitchins.
There’s still a way to go before Hitchins is on the same level as Ryan, Haney, and Teofimo. He’s not as popular as those three, and his fighting style isn’t must-see TV. That’s Hitchins’ biggest problem. He doesn’t fight in an entertaining way that makes fans want to tune in to watch his fights. That’s why he’s stooping to the level of defending against Kambosos. If Hitchins were popular, he’d have those three beating down his door, pushing for a fight.
