Richardson Hitchins still says his targets are Teofimo Lopez at 140, and if he can’t get him, he’ll move up and go after Devin Haney. He believes those are the fights that will turn him into a star overnight. That’s why Hitchins wants to fight them right away.
Hitchins wants big fights now
Unlike Teofimo and Haney, who earned their spot by defeating Vasily Lomachenko, Hitchins doesn’t believe he has to do that. Just beating George Kambosos Jr. was enough in his mind.
IBF light welterweight champion Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) wants the big fights right away. He believes his win over Kambosos Jr. puts him in a position to fight the likes of Teofimo and Haney. However, neither of those guys has mentioned wanting to fight him. Hitchins’ fighting style is too dull; he moves too much and clinches nonstop. Teofimo and Haney don’t want to fight guys like that.
Richardson has put the cart before the horse in terms of trying to get the big fights before he’s built himself up first by facing the killers. It’s the lazy approach, the one we see from fighters who want the big money fights right away and don’t want to have to earn them the hard way.
Hitchins needs to fight contenders
The Brooklyn, New York native Hitchins doesn’t want to fight Ernesto Mercado, Gary Antuanne Russell, Subriel Matias, or Alberto Puello. Richardson, 27, wants the big fights without having to work for them. Besides his reluctance to take the building fights, Hitchins shot himself in the foot by choosing not to re-sign with Eddie Hearn. He announced to the fans and the media that he was a free agent after his win over Kambosos Jr. on June 14th.
Hitchins assumed that there would be a mad rush for his services. That hasn’t happened, and is a foolish move that backfired, as it looked like an act of betrayal on his part. He also didn’t realize that his fighting style is not appealing enough to make him a free agent in demand.
“Yeah, I’d go up to 147 and would target Devin Haney. It makes sense. Me and him have history. He’s not a big puncher, and he’s a guy that is fresh from 140,” said Richardson Hitchins to the Chris Mannix channel. “It’s not too much of an adjustment, I have to make from 140.
Teofimo Lopez unlikely to fight
Hitchins needs to go up to 147 now. If he’s not going to fight Matias, Mercado, or Russell, he’s not going to increase his popularity by cherry-picking washed-up guys. Teofimo is never going to fight him. He should have already realized that.
“It would solidify my name more in boxing to get a big win like that. I would beat him also, and it would make sense,” said Hitchins. “When I go up to 147, I want Devin Haney, Brian Norman, and Mario Barrios. I feel like I’m one of the best fighters in the sport right now. He’s [Haney] not better than me.”
So, Hitchins wants the big fights right away at 147 without having to work for him. Again, he’s got this sense of entitlement, believing he should get the big fights without working for them the way other fighters do.
Hitchins’ path to big fights
If he moves up, he needs to fight the top contenders to earn his spot, and not expect it to be given to him just because he was a paper champion at 140. Hitchins should have to fight these contenders at welterweight to earn fights against Haney, Norman Jr., and Barrios:
- Rohan Polanco
- Shakhram Giyasov
- Karen Chukhadzhian
- Jack Catterall
- Raul Curiel
“We have our eye on Teofimo Lopez, especially with us having the same manager, Keith Connolly,” said Hitchins. “Shakur tried to butt in out of nowhere and try to intrude. He’s trying to make the Teofimo fight. There’s no clear direction where we can go next, but Teofimo Lopez is a fight that I think we can make happen.”
It doesn’t matter that Hitchins and Teofimo share the same manager. Teo still isn’t going to fight him, because there’s no money in it, and he has that old Mayweather non-engaging style of fighting. Hitchins fights too much like him and Shakur Stevenson for Lopez to want to bless him with a fight, and he has to chase him around.
“It’s a fantasy fight for me. Two New York guys. Hopefully, we can make it happen in Brooklyn. I think it’ll be a big event. With my personality and his personality coming together, it’ll be a great fight,” said Hitchins.
Last Updated on 08/09/2025
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