Richardson Hitchins sent his previously declining stock into a steep climb with one fight.
I’ll admit that when he told Manouk Akopyan of BoxingScene that his April performance against Gustavo Lemos was “ass,” I took it with a grain of salt. Not that he was wrong to criticize the 12 rounds he fought. For an ostensibly slick boxer, Lemos caught and hurt him with surprising frequency, forcing him to hold several consecutive times in the eighth round.
He was debatably lucky to win a decision and indisputably lucky to win one unanimously, punctuated by a dubious 117-111 card. Given his status as a clear pre-fight favorite, I could understand Hitchins’ frustration with his outing.
But Hitchins says a lot of things: that Lemos couldn’t make a mistake or “would see his ass on the canvas,” (Hitchins never even wobbled Lemos) or that, as of January 27th, he was “the best 140-pounder in the motherfucking world.” Then there was the interview clip DAZN played minutes before he and Lemos made their ring walks. “I feel like when you got the skills I got, you can talk as much shit you want,” Hitchins said, before really letting loose on his 140-pound contemporaries. “Fuck Devin Haney. Everyone knows Regis [Prograis] is a bum. Till somebody shut me up, I’m gonna keep talking the same way I talk.”
It was just very big talk, especially coming from a smaller name than those he denigrated. Besides, I knew what I saw in the Lemos fight. I was impressed with Hitchins’ jab and straight right, but doubtful of his chin, elusiveness, and given his tendency to clinch over fighting back or making Lemos miss, even his heart. I saw somebody who needed to decisively beat Lemos in a rematch to prove his mettle, not somebody who could go right to a title shot and win it.
How fast things change.
On December 7, Hitchins flashed fists that could back up his mouth by soundly defeating Liam Paro and taking his IBF title. Through four rounds, Hitchins trailed 3-1 on most scorecards, fighting without sufficient activity to fend off Paro’s feints and combinations. Then came a stern reprimand from trainer Leonard Wilson, mostly encouraging Hitchins to push Paro back, rather than permitting the opposite to happen.
In terms of tactical insight, this is about as rudimentary as a boxing pep talk can get. Where Wilson really showed his smarts was in what he said next. “He might be four [rounds] up on you! You don’t know!” At this, Hitchins shook his head in protest, his immense pride in his abilities threatened. Wilson pressed further. “Okay, step to him, man! You’re better and you’re greater. Start pushing him back!” And Hitchins did.
I’d wager that the prospect of trailing Paro 4-0 inspired Hitchins more than the demand to come forward. Sure, he fought on the front foot more after Wilson’s urging, but he also fought with a particular intensity, reminiscent of a fighter who knows well that he cannot lose another round.
Not that Hitchins, armed with a shiny new belt, will particularly care about how and why he gained the trinket. Despite a deranged 117-111 scorecard in favor of the champion, twin 116-112 scores for Hitchins saw him depose Paro (and collapse to the canvas in ecstasy, with such force that I wondered if he’d fallen or hurt himself).
Following Keyshawn Davis’ destruction of Lemos last month, there were no further talks of a Hitchins-Lemos rematch for the 19-0 (7 KOs) Hitchins to kill off with his win over Paro. Hitchins has no obligation to think about Lemos ever again. The names he has derided in the past now have a three-letter reason to fight him: the I-B-F.
After the fight, Hitchins called out Teofimo Lopez, arguably the most dangerous name at 140, even if his power hasn’t carried up from 135. Seeking an immediate unification rather than a soft first title defense is worthy behavior of a champion.
I don’t expect Hitchins to school the other titleholders in the division, regardless of what he may say about them. But he’s now proven himself to be on their level. Whether he makes his fellow champions look like “ass” or not, he has earned the chance to back up his words once more.
The IBF title gives Hitchins status among his fellow fighters; he now has something they want. But his performance against Paro might have granted him what might be an even more valuable currency: respect among the fans. Many of those who doubted Hitchins may now tune into his fights a little bit more closely or buy a ticket, increasingly faithful in his ability to – as his attire makes clear – hit chins.
Owen Lewis is a former intern at Defector Media and writes and edits for BoxingScene. His beats are tennis, boxing, books, travel, and anything else that satisfies his meager attention span. He is on Bluesky.
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