IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) says he wants to fight Teofimo Lopez or Devin Haney next after his eighth-round TKO win over the played-out shell George Kambosos Jr. (22-4, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lopez, Haney Next for Hitchins?
Hitchins thinks he’s arrived in superstardom after beating the one-hit wonder Kambosos, and that’s not reality. He’s just seen as a guy that picked Kambosos for an easy win, and avoided his IBF mandatory, Subriel Matias, and Gary Antuanne Russell. In other words, two fighters who can beat him.
It’s unclear whether Teofimo and Haney would expect Turki Alalshikh to finance a fight with Hitchins, because without him to put up the money, they won’t likely get the big $10 million purses that they received for their recent tune-up fights on May 2nd at Times Square in New York. When Teo and Devin find out that they won’t be getting $10M to fight Hitchins, they’ll balk a nd walk away.
Financial Hurdles for Hitchins Fights
Teofimo and Haney won’t be happy getting a purse of $2 million due to Turki not being involved. Hitchins is NOT a PPV star, and a fight between him and Lopez or Haney won’t be a PPV-worthy fight. The promoters could place it on DAZN PPV, but it won’t bring in big numbers because Hitchins, Haney, and Lopez are not proven PPV fighters/
“Teofimo Lopez. Either one of them,” said Richardson Hitchins at the post-fight press conference when asked who he preferred to fight next between Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez after his knockout win over George Kambosos Jr. on Saturday night.
You can understand why Devin and Lopez would want to fight Hitchins next, after the way he looked tonight against Kambosos. Despite winning by an eighth-round TKO over Kambosos, Hitchins looked very beatable and not impressive. Lightweight, Andy Cruz, would have trounced Hitchins if he were in the ring. Cruz isn’t anywhere near the same size as Hitchins, but he’d have beaten him.
“With me, my attitude, my charisma, my flamboyance, and what I bring to the table,” said Hitchins, praising himself. “People hate me, but they’re going to watch me. Boxing needs somebody like me and somebody like Teofimo, crazy. So, both of us, it’ll go for a great build-up. We’re both young and in our prime.
“I think it’ll be dope, and it’s a storyline behind it. It’s a big fight, and me and Devin Haney is also a big fight,” said Hitchins.
Last Updated on 06/15/2025
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