Richardson Hithins says after he defends his IBF light welterweight title against #3-ranked George Kambosos Jr. on June 14th, he’s “coming for Tefofimo Lopez or Anold Barboza.” If he can’t get the winner of the May 2nd fight between Teofimo and Barboza, he says he’ll face #1 ranked Subriel Matias.
(Credit: Matchroom)
Hitchins doesn’t have much hope of getting a shot at the winner of the Lopez vs. Barboza Jr. fight because there are bigger options available to either. Teofimo is considered the favorite in that fight, and if victorious, he could face Jaron Ennis, Devin Haney, or Ryan Garcia. Hitchins would be the last on his list because he’s not popular.
Kambosos Choice
Boxing fans on social media question why Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) is fighting Kambosos Jr (22-3, 10 KOs) instead of his IBF mandatory Matias (22-2, 22 KOs). The little ‘Emperor’ Kambosos has lost three out of his last five fights since 2022 and has fought just once at 140, against non-ranked Jake Whyllie on March 22nd.
“After Kamboses, I’m coming for Teofimo Lopez or [Arnold] Barboza, and if not, I want [Surbriel] Matias. It’s an official bounty on his head, and I’m going to show you he’s not on my level,” said Richardson Hitchins on X, talking about his hit list.
It looks bad that Hitchins has chosen to fight Kambosos Jr. rather than Matias or one of the other top-rated contenders at 140. The former unified lightweight champion Kambosos hasn’t done enough to deserve a world title shot, making Hitchins look like he’s cherry-picking by fighting him.
Hitchins captured the IBF 140-lb title last December, beating Liam Paro by a 12-round split decision in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Although Hitchins won, it wasn’t the kind of performance that would create interest in a fight between him and Teofimo Lopez. He needed to look a lot better for him to motivate Teo to face him.
Last Updated on 04/12/2025
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