Twenty-eight seconds remained in the eighth round when Richardson Hitchins was declared the reigning champion. He’d knocked George Kambosos Jr. to the canvas with a wicked body shot that left Kambosos Jr. wincing. The referee stood over Kambosos Jr. and counted, but all the Australian could do was struggle to his feet, assisted by the ropes and his right eye swollen, before he fell into the referee’s arms.
Hitchins, the 140-pound Brooklyn native, retained the IBF World Junior Welterweight Title with a stoppage victory over Kambosos Jr. on Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. For most of the evening’s headline tilt, it was obvious. Hitchins controlled the fight. He continuously landed jabs and broke Kambosos Jr. down. But if you asked Hitchins, he’d say that you should’ve seen him coming.
“I’ve been telling the boxing world that I’m the truth,” Hitchins said after the fight. “If you don’t know Richardson Hitchins, now you know. I’ve been telling the boxing world I’ve been coming. They should have listened, and now I’m here.”
It was, by now, after midnight. It had been just under an hour since Hitchins vanquished Kambosos Jr. with the left-handed body shot to remain undefeated, his record now standing at 20–0. The theater beneath The Garden’s main event space, which had not long before been filled with a raucous crowd, had all but emptied, save for the building’s event staff who took apart the ring and unscrewed temporary rows of seats surrounding it, and a handful of reporters in section 203.
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Hitchins is a product of the NYC Cops & Kids Boxing program, an initiative founded and run by New York City police officers that offers young people aged 12 to 21 an alternative to street life. Hitchins said he didn’t want to be a boxer when he was a kid, but after seeing Floyd Mayweather’s trash-talking, he came to the gym.
Boxing changed his life. He feels that he’s living proof of the Cops & Kids program.
“Me coming from that program, it can show that young kid that I come from the same place as you,” Hitchins said. “I’ve had the used boxing shoes that the older guys would give me, the stinky hand wraps, the dirty gloves that was just messed up.
“That program is meant to help a kid, push their trajectory in life towards the positive. And I feel like, whether it’s boxing, whether it’s being anything you want to be in life, that program can change anybody’s life, and I’m living proof of it.”
Hitchins’ promoter and the chairman of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn, praised Hitchins’ humble personality. Before he fought Kambosos Jr., Hitchins returned to Cops & Kids to spend time in the community he grew up in.
“He’s a product of the system,” Hearn told amNewYork about Hitchins in an interview before Saturday’s fight. “He’s a product of grassroots boxing in New York, and he’s a very good young man, and he’s a tremendous fighter.”
Hitchins worked his way up, eventually representing Haiti at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But two years ago, he was out of the game after he finished his contract with Mayweather Promotions.
“Mayweather Promotions just kind of left him on the side,” Hearn said. “He had no profile, no contract, no activity.”
Enter Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, who signed Hitchins and boxed him to Madison Square Garden. He headlined in Orlando, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico on the way.
New York City is not cheap. Hotels are expensive. Madison Square Garden is lavish. But there’s nothing like it. As Hearn said, The Garden is “the mecca of boxing.”
“If you want to make a statement, you come here,” he said.
Hitchins’ bout with Kambosos Jr. was not just a homecoming, but a potential breakout fight. With a win, he could be looking at more lucrative fights against the likes of Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez — the caliber of fighters Hitchins feels like he should be taking on.
“This is the fight that could give him that jump in terms of profile, in terms of the fan base calling out for those big fights,” Hearn said. “When you talk about Haney and Teo, they know how good Richardson is. And I think sometimes you say, ‘He just isn’t a big enough name.’”
What better way to increase Hitchins’ profile than fighting a big-name opponent and a former world champion, Kambosos Jr., at Madison Square Garden?
If Hitchins could put together a special performance, he’d unquestionably raise his stock.
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Kambosos Jr. had targeted Hitchins’ body for most of the fight. It was a good plan, in theory: break down his opponent’s body.
“That was the plan,” Kambosos Jr. said. “Body, body, body, stabbing that body, stabbing that right hand, the left rib, to the body. I didn’t fully execute the game plan. I went a little bit too much head-hunting.”
He knew that Hitchins was going to be sharp. Like Rocky Balboa, Kambosos Jr. took the shots. They hurt. He fired back. He busted Hitchins’ lip. But Hitchins sent him down.
“I wanted to go more,” Kambosos Jr. said. “That’s the warrior I am. I’m always ready to die in that ring. I didn’t stay down. That body shot would have taken 100% of all of you here and anyone critiquing online.”
Kambosos Jr., boxing on his 32nd birthday, is five years older than Hitchins, 27. He previously held the unified lightweight championship. He held the IBO lightweight title. At that point, after losing to Hitchins, he faced the inevitable question from a reporter: What’s next?
Losing sucks, he admitted. But Kambosos Jr. has three young kids. He’s been busy over the past few years.
“My cabinet’s full, my bank account’s full, and I’ve got a loving family,” he said. “So what’s next? I’m gonna go coach my son’s footy team.”
Hitchins, meanwhile, faced a different question: Is this just the beginning of Richardson Hitchins?
He certainly believes so. He insisted that the statement victory against Kambosos Jr. isn’t his final level. There’s a lot more for him to do. No one believes that sentiment more.
“I do believe that I’m one of the best fighters in the sport of boxing, period,” Hitchins said. “I’m going to show if I’m not that yet, it will come because I believe in myself, and I’m working hard every day.”
