BROOKLYN — Richardson Hitchins bounced at a cadence, the invisible line of the skipping rope passing beneath him with each jump. He hopped on his right leg, then his left. He crossed his hands quickly, then moved them back to his sides. He skipped backwards for a few steps. Then, he bounced higher. The rope spun faster, orbiting him twice between each landing.
His lateral movements mimicked the footwork of a defending International Boxing Federation World Junior Welterweight Champion with a 14-0 record. The fluorescent lights of Brooklyn’s Gleason’s Gym — the boxing cathedral, once a training home for Muhammad Ali, Heather Hardy, Mike Tyson, and Robert De Niro — traced Hitchins’ chiseled frame as he warmed up and simultaneously addressed the crowd of reporters and photographers who lined the red ring ropes.
On June 14, Hitchins, who lives and trains in Brooklyn, will defend his status against Australia’s George Kambosos Jr. at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Homegrown talent
Hitchins’ and Kambosos’ bout will be, essentially, boxing’s version of a home court advantage — a home ring advantage, if you will — for Hitchins, who has held the world title since last December, when he dethroned the former champion, Liam Paro. Defending his world title at home means everything. He loves the New York boxing fans and the energy around the city.
“Running these streets, sparring in these gyms, all these fighters around New York City, they know me,” Hitchins said. “They really feel me. They see me in the gym doing the 15 rounds on a random Tuesday coming up. They see me running the Brooklyn Bridge, running down Eastern Parkway, and striving to get to a world championship.”
Growing up boxing in New York, Hitchins said, brought the grit out of him.
Hitchins, 27, said that boxing used to be better when he was growing up, because of the caliber of boxers in the gym at the time. He recalled training alongside Hans Perez — the Indiana Pacers fan who had trash thrown at him during the New York Knicks’ Conference Final series — Shu Shu Carrington, Edgar Belanga, Julian Sosa and Christopher Colbert, just to name a few.
“The energy in the gym was different,” Hitchins said. “Seeing Curtis Stevens, Zad Judah, Sadam Ali, Luis Collazo, all these guys being in one gym and boxing. The energy was raw, authentic, and different.”
Defending the world title at home
Everything is on the line for Hitchins as he meets Kambosos.
“Once you become champion, you’re in the hot seat,” Hitchins said. You don’t want to lose your spot. There’s always somebody working to get to your spot.”
Hitchins trusts the work he’s put in and everything he’s done to earn his position as a defending champion. He said the best advice he’d give himself is to keep working.
And, literally, he has a whole village behind him. The New York boxing community had watched him grow up. Now, they’d watch him defend his status as a world champion.
“For us to defend it and celebrate this together, it’s huge,” Hitchins said.
“As a world champion, everybody knows the first title defense is another hump, another stepping stone for a champion. It’s a big night, and it’s a great moment right now in my life, just to be that guy and be sitting in this position.”
