Brooklyn native and IBF 140-pound champion Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) put on a show in his hometown as he defeated former world champion George Kambosos Jr. (22-4, 10 KOs) with a body shot in the eighth round to get a stoppage victory at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
In the first defense of his title, which he won back in December after defeating Liam Paro by unanimous decision, Hitchins worked off the jab.
According to CompuBox, of Hitchins’ 208 punches landed, 118 were jabs. He was super accurate as well. The 27-year-old Hitchins landed 52% of his punches thrown and 53% of his power punches.
Hitchins’ jab was busting up Kambosos’ face, and as the fight continued, it appeared that it was only going to be a matter of time before Hitchins finished the show. He had Kambosos hurt in the fifth, and three round later, he finally put things away.
In that eighth round, Hitchins landed a vicious body shot, and Kambosos went down. He would get up, but he was clearly in a lot of pain, and the fight was halted.
After the win, Hitchins made it clear that he was the real deal.
“A few years ago, I was watching Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr. go to war, and I was sitting on those stairs, and I said when I get my opportunity, I’m going to make the best of it,” Hitchins said. “With the help of Eddie Hearn and Keith Connelly, they changed my life in two years.”
“In terms of the fight itself, I’ve been telling the boxing world that I’m the truth. 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.”
This was an impressive performance by Hitchins, but it was expected. The 31-year-old Kambosos is just a name at this point in his career. Going forward, Hitchins is a player at 140 pounds.
Following the win, WBO 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez was in the ring, but Hitchins called out Devin Haney, so those two might get it on. Hitchins, who had been promoted by Matchroom’s Eddie Haarn, did mention after the fight that he is a promotional-free agent, which could also impact his next move.
Regardless of all that, Hitchins put on a big-time performance for his hometown!
Photo: Geoffrey Knott/MatchroomBoxing
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