WBA lights Welterweight Champion Gary Antuanne Russell expressed disappointment today that IBF champion Richardson Hitchins showed no interest in fighting him in a unification after he veteran George Kambosos jr. Last Saturday night. Russell pointed out that he hit Hitchins four times in the amateurs and had a title in his weight class, but he showed no interest in fighting him.
Turki Alalshikh would do the sport a solid if he set up a fight between Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins next. There would be some weeds going on. We will see what is what, or hitchins are for rights or a false.
Hitchins: Business on legacy
The answer is obvious. Hitchins (20-0, 8 COs) are not interested in legacy. His career is about business, so he ignored his compulsory opponent, Subriael Matias, and chose last Saturday Kambosos Jr. The Aussie led in his last five fights with a record of 2-3, and one of the victories was a very dubious decision on Maxi Hughes.
The choice of Kambosos has shown that Hitchins focused on making money fights, and he wants to make sure he is not beaten. Russell would all be wrong for Hitchin. He can punch, rough and overwhelm Hitchins with his power.
Hitchins mentioned that he wanted to fight Welterweight contender Devin Haney and WBO champion Theofimo Lopez, but not last Saturday night Russell (18-1, 17 COs) after beating the excessive, old Kambosos in the eighth round in a non-competitive fight in Madison Square Garden in New York.
How can a man lose 4x in the amateurs we have both belts in the same section and yet you don’t even want to fight against me. Boxing gets soft for real. I will fight someone as long as it makes sense to make money or legacy
– Gary Antuanne Russell (@garyantuanne) June 16, 2025
Boxing’s new money focus
Hitchins are now the new kind of fighters in the sport. They do not focus on fighting the best. They just go to security fights or look at fighters who have already arrived.
Promoter Eddie Hearn helped hitchins in this place by setting him up with the soft touch Kambosos. The thanks he gets is that Hitchins announced that his contract is going on with the match room last Saturday, and he is now a promotional free agent. He hopes for greener pastures with someone. However, it will not be Turki Alalshikh.
“When Hitchins stopped him, it was of pure pain. He hurt. He hit him with the first body shot, and his face changed. The whole fight changed from there, ‘said coach Greg Hackett said Tbise About Ricyardsson Hitchins’ victory over veteran George Kambosos last Saturday.
As big as Hitchins watched in the ring last Saturday, it’s not surprising that he hurt the much smaller Kambosos. It looked like a fight between a welter weight and a small lightweight. Hitchins can somehow still gain weight for the 140 pound section. But he has to fight at 147. He does not have the power to fight against welterweight. So it is understandable why he kills himself to stay in the light welter weight as long as possible.
Hitchins’ size at 140
“Hitchins were already on the lead, but you could see at that point that he was ready to do harm,” Hackett said. ‘With its size (at 140) you can do it to guys. He is 5’10 1/2 ″ to fight at 140. He is one of the giants at 140. That’s the kind of punishment he can do if he believes in himself. “
Hitchins may overwhelm fewer fighters like Kambosos, but his chances of doing it against the elite at 140 are slim. Put him in against Russell, Matias, Keyshawn Davis and Ernesto Mercado, and he is likely to be exposed. This is perhaps why he did not show an eagerness to fight with one of them. He looked good against Kambosos, but almost everyone would. Kambosos’ last opponent, a small well -known fighter in the domestic level, Jake Wylie, has just given him.
“I think fighting is a big fight,” says Greg about a fight between Hitchins and Devin Haney. “None of them is known as a big puncher. They are both boxers. They both received good height and long arms, but the mentality of the two thinkers. That night they will be fighters. It will come to the point where they will realize, ‘I can’t think of him now. ‘
Last updated on 06/16/2025
