Richardson Hitchins is fortunate to be fighting for a world title against IBF junior welterweight champ Liam Paro on Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico on DAZN.
Hitchins, 18-0 (7 KOs), fought tooth and nail against Gustavo Lemos last time out in April, barely beating the Argentine via unanimous decision in a fight many observers believed he lost.
Hitchins outlanded Lemos 172 to 161 in the 12-round fight to secure his mandatory shot at Paro, 25-0 (15 KOs).
An unsatisfied Hitchins reflected on his most recent performance.
“That was an ass performance as hell against Lemos,” Hitchins told BoxingScene. “It was a terrible performance. I worked hard in camp but it wasn’t long. I definitely overlooked Gustavo Lemos. After beating Jose Zepeda, I was like ‘this guy is a bum. I’m going to walk through him.’ I think that’s why my camp was not that long. Lemos was super hungry, in shape, and brought a fast, rugged pace. I don’t think I’ve seen too many styles like Lemos. You see the pitbulls, but pitbulls don’t come with the volume that Lemos did. I lost six pounds the day before the fight and I was drained. And I had a hand injury. I beat him with one hand for the majority of the fight. That alone shows you the level that I’m on. My confidence … people are going to say what they want to say, but I know it is what it is. It’s boxing.”
Hitchins’ debatable win against Lemos has not aged well because Lemos returned to fight Keyshawn Davis in November and was knocked out in two rounds.
Hitchins, a 27-year-old Brooklyn-born boxer, believes he will be a thorn in the side of the other active champions in the division once he becomes a titleholder as well along the likes of Teofimo Lopez Jnr (WBO), Jose Valenzuela (WBA), and Alberto Puello (WBC).
“I’ve been trying to make up for lost time ever since the first day I signed with Eddie Hearn,” said Hitchins, who formerly fought for Mayweather Promotions. “That’s all me and my manager Keith Connolly talk about. We’ve been behind the eight ball and we’re just trying to catch up.
“Once I win the title, I’m looking to face the other high-level fighters. I’m a part of that echelon. The belts have been bouncing at 140 pounds but I’m going to hold on to mine after I beat Paro and unify. I want to bring a homecoming fight back to New York City as a world champion.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
