“He deserves his entire purse,” Edwards told MillCity Boxing. “He made the weight. He did what he was supposed to do.”
In reality, challengers in these situations are often left on whatever discretionary pay a promoter chooses to offer, because standard bout agreements rarely guarantee full compensation if a fight collapses before the opening bell. The fighter who shows up can still leave without the check attached to the contract.
That statement lands hard when you calculate what a modern training camp costs. Eight weeks of sparring partners, strength and conditioning, housing, nutrition, travel, and team percentages often require advances or borrowed money. Edwards spoke from experience.
“Maybe you pay some people weekly. Maybe you pay some people monthly. Maybe you pay for a lot of sparring,” he said. “Your team, they work their ass off… and then they don’t fight. It’s terrible.”
Edwards did not accuse Hitchins of wrongdoing. He admitted that food poisoning is possible. But he calls same-day withdrawals in title fights “rare, rare, rare,” noting that fighters typically withdraw during camp, not after weigh-ins and rehydration.
“When that happens, your reputation changes,” Edwards said. “Hopefully it’s not something that sticks with him.”
For Duarte, the structural damage could be immediate. The IBF’s order to Hitchins to defend against Delgado effectively freezes him out. Title shots are not held in escrow. Once a mandatory is installed, the line shifts again, and a challenger who just made weight and waited his turn may find himself starting over.
“That’s why I think boxing needs a union for those exact circumstances,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ logic is unsentimental. In boxing, living up to your end of the contract doesn’t guarantee a payday, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee another title shot.
