Jamaine Ortiz Removed From Jan. 31 Card; Richardson Hitchins Remains Scheduled

Jamaine Ortiz is off the January 31 card. The IBF title fight with Richardson Hitchins is gone. Hitchins keeps the belt and the slot. The opponent is now a question mark. At this weight, that matters because real tests are hard to line up and easy to lose.

Both fighters say they signed. That’s the important part. When both sides confirm paperwork was done and the fight still dies, the issue isn’t commitment. It’s control. Someone higher up pulled the handbrake.

Ortiz saying the fight could be made directly between fighters isn’t posturing. It’s frustration. Camps don’t talk like that unless they’ve already burned weeks of work for nothing.

Why This Fight Was Dangerous in the First Place

Ortiz isn’t a crowd-pleaser. He’s a disruptor. He drags opponents out of rhythm, gives away early reads, then starts stealing time and space. He forces lead decisions instead of reacting. That’s uncomfortable for anyone trying to box clean for judges.

Hitchins has looked sharper lately. Straight shots, disciplined feet, good control at range. But his best work comes when the fight stays organised. Ortiz does not keep things organised. He breaks patterns, steps off late, and makes you solve problems mid-round.

This wasn’t a voluntary defence you take for ease. It was a risk taken because it meant something.

What Replacing Ortiz Actually Changes

A short-notice replacement keeps the card alive but strips the fight of consequence. Hitchins can win and still come out with questions attached. Control looks different against someone who didn’t prepare for your timing.

From a trainer’s angle, that’s the danger. You prep for one problem and get handed another with none of the upside. Judges don’t care that the opponent changed. They score what’s in front of them.

For Ortiz, the damage is quieter. Momentum stalls. Rankings become conversations instead of results. At 140, that’s how you get skipped.

Winning Versus Moving Forward

If Hitchins beats whoever steps in, he keeps the belt. He doesn’t move the division. If he struggles, the belt suddenly looks fragile. If Ortiz sits inactive, the division keeps turning without him.

No explanation has been offered. No replacement name has surfaced. That silence usually means negotiations are tight and timelines are shrinking.

If this goes wrong for Hitchins, it won’t be because Ortiz pulled out. It’ll be because title fights without risk don’t age well, and super lightweight doesn’t forgive flat nights.