“I’m not afraid to fight him in the pocket,” Hitchens said Sean Zittel. “And the more he comes, the more he will take.”
Hitchens built his rise on controlling those moments. Opponents who try to push him forward often find themselves picked out when they step in, forced to hesitate after being caught cleanly. Duarte’s approach hinges on coming forward and throwing, meaning he will have to repeatedly enter Hitchens’ range to find success. Hitchens said those entries will come at a cost.
Bag swap welcome
“You can’t just come to a guy like me,” Hitchens said. “You’re going to take a lot of punishment. He who’s trying to deliver punishment, he’s going to have to come in. He’s not going to get to me, and I’m sending it right back, and it’s coming fast. It’s coming accurately, and it’s going to hurt.”
His approach depends on discipline rather than needlessly chasing exchanges. He said patience is essential against pressure fighters because forcing the action only benefits the opponent. Waiting for openings allows him to maintain control and land clean counters when opponents commit.
“To be a top-level fighter, you have to be patient,” Hitchens said. “If he’s just going to come in and run, he’s going to get knocked out. There’s no other way to do it.”
This fight gives Hitchens the opportunity to build on his reputation after victories over George Kambosos Jr. and Liam Paro, two opponents who tested his ability to control distance and pace. Duarte presents a different kind of test, one built on forward pressure and tenacity, but Hitchens said he expects the result to reflect the difference once the exchanges begin.
He believes Duarte’s willingness to close distance will create the situations he prefers, allowing him to take control of the fight without having to retreat.
