“Keyshawn better than him.. this dude is the king of hypothetical wins.. while guys actually out here fighting. He pulled out the day of a fight. We are not the same,” Haney said on X about Hitchins.
Haney’s response came after Hitchins claimed during the interview that Haney has no interest in facing him despite the fight making sense now that both men are campaigning at welterweight.
“I feel like Haney, he don’t want to fight me period,” Hitchins said to Mr. Verzace. “I want to fight him so bad. So, so bad.”
Hitchins also criticized Haney’s résumé, arguing that it has been overrated outside of one signature victory.
“I feel like all the guys he fought from Brian Norman to Regis Prograis to George Kambosos was all C-class fighters,” Hitchins said. “I do respect him a lot for the Lomachenko win. I feel like he dug deep. But other than that…”
Haney chose not to comment on those comments directly. Instead, he questioned Richardson’s credibility by pointing to the canceled Oscar Duarte bout, which Hitchins withdrew from on fight day after struggling with the weight cut.
During the same interview, Hitchins explained that years of making 140 pounds, combined with the IBF’s rehydration clause, had left him physically drained. He said the move to 147 pounds was necessary for his career and admitted he had reached the point where making junior welterweight had become nearly impossible.
Haney also dismissed Hitchins’ standing in the division, claiming Keyshawn Davis is the better fighter.
Hitchins’ focus is on his July 26 Zuffa Boxing debut against Ricardo Salas at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Haney, meanwhile, remains tied to the WBO title picture, with Keyshawn Davis expected to become his mandatory challenger before any other major fights can be finalized.
If Hitchins gets past Salas, Haney’s public dismissal will only add more fuel to what is becoming one of boxing’s more personal rivalries.
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