Richardson Hitchins is the favorite for his IBF light welterweight title defense against veteran George Kambosos Jr. this Saturday, June 14th. On paper, Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) should make it look easy, beating the former unified three-belt lightweight champion Kambosos (22-3, 10 KOs) in their headliner at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
(Credit: Matchroom Boxing)
Hitchins-Kambosos: Fight Preview
Kambosos Jr’s grit, will to win, and aggressiveness may enable him to overcome the huge skill advantage Hitchins, 27, has going into this fight on Saturday.
This Saturday, June 14th, the Hitchins-Kambosos Jr. event will be broadcast on DAZN, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. The ring walks are estimated to occur at 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT. In the co-feature, Andy Cruz faces Hironori Mishiro in an IBF lightweight title eliminator.
If George and his team have watched Richardson’s fights against Liam Paro, Gustavo Lemos, and Jose Zepeda, they noted that he falls to pieces when he’s put under nonstop pressure. Hitchins won’t stand his ground. He takes off running and clinches when trapped.
Hitchins’ Weaknesses: Pressure & Corner
Interestingly, the New Yorker Hitchins doesn’t follow instructions from his corner when they bark orders, telling him to stop moving and come forward. He won’t do it, no matter what his coach tells him. He seems to lose his mind in stressful situations, like we saw in the later rounds against Paro, Lemos, and Zepeda.
Hitchins is beyond listening when he’s under the knife, being attacked relentlessly by his opposition. Team Kambosos will have noted this weakness in Richardson and will give George his attack orders to go after him from round won, putting him under relentless pressure. That is how Kambosos can win.
George Kambosos Jr.: Comeback Trail
With a victory on Saturday night against Hitchins, Kambosos can eliminate his one-hit wonder label. I believe the ‘Emperor’ Kambosos can bring the ferociousness that he showed in his upset victory over Teofimo Lopez in 2021. It’s been missing in the last five fights, but it’s still there.
He’s only 31 and looks physically the same as when he beat the living daylights out of Teofimo four years ago. He doesn’t need the Fountain of Youth or a working time machine to defeat Hitchins. Kambosos needs the madman mentality that he had for the Lopez fight.
Fight Week 🔒⌛️☦️ And The New 🏆 The Underdog Back In Town 🗽 pic.twitter.com/eziVE0Ydni
— George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr (@georgekambosos) June 10, 2025
Last Updated on 06/10/2025
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