Eddie Hearn now has a clear path to make a unification fight between IBF 140lb champion Richardson Hitchins and WBO champion Teofimo Lopez next. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has decided he does not want to face Teofimo in a title defense of his IBF welterweight belt. He says he would rather focus on uniting at 147.
Hitchins vs. Teofimo: A realistic game
Matchroom promoter Hearn must contact Bob Arum, Teofimo’s boss at Top Rank, and try to negotiate a fight. This is the best available contest for Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) because he’s not going to get the Terence Crawford fight he’s been asking for.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) captured the IBF 140-lb title with a 12-round victory over Liam Paro last Saturday night at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Eddie Hearn-promoted Hitchins looked excellent, beating Paro by scores of 116-112, 116-112 for Paro and 117-111 for Paro.
Teofimo will have to want the fight with Hitchins because he can choose not to take the fight if he feels it’s going to be a tough one or a fight he can lose.
“He said he wanted Teofimo Lopez. It’s a pretty big fight in New York City. Teofimo and Hitchins are both New Yorkers, both champions at 140 pounds,” said Chris Mannix. YouTube. “I think Teofimo-Hitchins is a much more realistic fight (than Jaron Ennis against Teofimo).
“I think it’s a fight that Top Rank can fight financially. Teofimo is of course the A side in such a fight. He would get the bulk of the money, and would get the A side account. Even though Hitchins is a title holder, he is not that expensive.
“You can have a fight with Teofimo and Hitchins. Put it on ESPN. If they don’t want to put it on ESPN, Eddie Hearn can put it on DAZN. That fight makes a lot more sense. It’s an interesting clash of styles, just like Paro and Hitchins. Teofimo is more of a forward guy. Hitchins is more of a classic boxer.
It’s obviously not the massive fight Teofimo wants against Jaron Boots Ennis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia or Crawford, but it’s as good as it gets for him.
“Who wins? Teofimo has a lot more pop than Liam Paro. It’s a very interesting fight at 140. It’s a fight I want to see Teofimo win. Not anything like Boots Ennis,” Mannix said.
“Hitchins, nobody gives him credit for his strength, but I do. I could hear it, and I could see it. He doesn’t commit to combinations,” said Sergio Mora. “The pot shooting. You could hear it, and you could see the respect he got from his opponents. I could see it in Paro’s face after the second half of the fight. He was a defeated fighter.”
