Richardson Hitchins watched former amateur rival Jaron Ennis unify the welterweight division with a stellar performance against Eimantas Stanionis in Atlantic City last night. Now, the IBF super-lightweight champion is gearing up for his own spotlight moment—a potential first title defence against George Kambosos Jr. this summer. Although no official announcement has been made, speculation is growing that the two will face off in June in New York.
Hitchins, a New York native, relishes the prospect, fuelled by heated exchanges with Kambosos. After defeating Jake Wyllie last month, Kambosos mocked Hitchins, calling him “Sh*t-chins” and challenging him to a toe-to-toe brawl while questioning his fighting style and power. When Boxing News asked Hitchins if the feud had become personal, he replied: “If George Kambosos’ face is not f****d up and dismantled, blood and everything… if it’s not like after the fight I probably need to quit.”
The unbeaten 27-year-old is determined to silence Kambosos and any doubters who underestimate him. “I think he thinks it’s a joke like I’m sweet,” he said. “A lot of these guys think I’m sweet. They look at it like ‘Oh Hitchens don’t hit hard, Hitchens is this, Hitchens is that.’ He [Kambosos] keep bringing up the [Gustavo] Lemos fight, he’s not Lemos. He went to the split decision with Lee Selby, Lemos knocked out Lee Selby in five rounds so he’s not even on Lemos’s level but he keep bringing up Lemos.”
Hitchins secured a unanimous decision against Lemos 12 months ago—a close fight that showcased the Argentine’s abilities and one he could have won. Four months ago, Hitchins travelled to Puerto Rico and claimed the IBF title from Australia’s Liam Paro via split decision, with most agreeing he was the rightful victor.
Should Hitchins defeat Kambosos, his sights are set on unification bouts. “I definitely want to unify the title whether it’s with [Alberto] Puello, [Gary Antuanne] Russell or Teofimo [Lopez] but obviously me and Teofimo already is on a collision course.”
Hitchins and Lopez, both Brooklyn natives, have been linked to a potential fight at an unconventional venue—Alcatraz—proposed by Turki Alalshikh. Lopez, the current WBO super-lightweight champion, defends his belt against Arnold Barboza on May 2 in Times Square, New York.
Asked what scale a Hitchins-Lopez showdown could be, Hitchins replied: “Very big. He claims he’s from New York, I am New York. Everybody know me in New York so I feel like it’s going to be a big fight in New York but let’s see how that work out because they be talking about Alcatraz and us maybe fighting on the Canelo undercard so let’s how it go.”
