IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins says he wants to dominate the “top-tier” George Kambosos Jr. to make a statement in their headliner this Saturday, June 14th, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Saturday’s Hitchins-Kambosos event will be broadcast on DAZN, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
The undercard has these two notable fights:
- Andy Cruz vs. Hironori Mishiro: IBF lightweight title eliminator
- Ernesto Mercado vs. Jonathan Montrel
Hitchins-Kambosos: Main Event Preview
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) says “the big fights” are now going to fall into his lap now that he’s the IBF 140-lb champion. He views the fight against Kambosos (22-3, 10 KOs) as the start of the “big fights.”
Fans don’t view this as a big fight, and they’ve largely ignored it throughout. Most people view Hitchins as desperate and needy for name opponents because he’s been passed over by the popular fighters Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Teofimo Lopez, whom he wanted to fight. To them, Hitchins is invisible. He doesn’t exist.
“We couldn’t get Teofimo Lopez. That was a fight that was in talks. So, we got George Kambosos. This is a guy that only lost to the best in boxing,” said Richardson Hitchins to Ryan Songalia when asked why he chose George Kambosos Jr. as his opponent.
There was no chance that Hitchins could get Teofimo because he doesn’t fight runners after the bad experience he had against Jamaine Ortiz in 2023. The fighter that Hitchins could have gotten, Subriel Matias, he didn’t want to fight. He doesn’t want to fight the dangerous, heavy-handed former IBF light welterweight champion Matias.
“He’s a top-tier opponent, and he was the best name and the best available guy. They had him and Liam Paro getting ready to match up for a big fight. I came and spoiled the plan, and now I’m the guy that George Kambosos has to go through.”
Kambosos: Not “Top-Tier” Opponent
Let’s get this straight. Kambosos is NOT “top-tier,” and he never was. He’s what you call a ‘one-hit wonder.’ He got lucky one, beating an injured, inactive, mentally non-motivated Teofimo Lopez in 2021. Since then, Kambosos’s career has been in free fall. It’s not that he’s lost anything from his game. He was never good to begin with.
“I’ve got to dominate anyone I’m in front of to get anywhere in boxing. It’s not so much about stopping George Kambosos,” said Hitchins. “It’s about going out there and putting on a dominant performance. The big fights, it’s here. I’m already world champion.”
Running Style: Hitchins’ Problem
Kambosos isn’t a big fight. It’s seen as a joke, and a signal of how desperate Hitchins is to get notable opponents to fight him. The fighters want nothing to do with him because he’s got a reputation for being a boring runner in the Haney mold. He can’t keep fighting Kambosos-level fighters without looking like a vulture that feeds off carcasses.
To get the top names, Hitchins will need to change his style of fighting by staying in the pocket, engaging more, and stop running. I don’t think he can change. Hitchins is wired to be a runner, and the way he would change is through hypnosis.
Top Fighters Shun Hitchins
“With guys around my weight class, it’s not 20 fights without Richardson Hitchins eventually getting into the mix.”
Hitchins is mistaken. He can be avoided for good by the most popular fighters. The guys Hitchins wants to fight, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez, will likely ignore him for the remainder of their careers.
The ones he doesn’t want to fight, Subriel Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell, and Keyshawn Davis, would be trouble for him. They’d end his reign as the IBF champion. It’s already believed that Hitchins is avoiding Matias and is afraid of him. He won’t even mention Russell or Keyshawn’s name. That tells you a lot.