Richardson Hitchins’ trainer, Lenny Wilson, believes his fighter has evolved.
Hitchins, the IBF junior welterweight titleholder, recorded an eight-round stoppage of former titleholder George Kambosos Jnr at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City on Saturday night.
The win marked Hitchins’ first defense of the title he won by defeating Liam Paro in December. Hitchins, a 27-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, is showing glimpses of maturing into a veteran, fighting efficiently and aggressively without sacrificing defense. With the win over Kambosos, he is now 20-0 (8 KOs).
“This fight, we said, let’s not move too much,” Wilson told BoxingScene. “Be there, and not be there, you get what I am saying.”
Kambosos, 22-4 (10 KOs), had upset Teofimo Lopez in November 2021 at lightweight. Since that fight, he is 2-4, but had more experience in big fights and against elite opponents than Hitchins.
“He stayed in the pocket, he stayed in mid-range, he didn’t run,” Wilson said of his fighter. “We worked on going to Kambosos’ body, because we noticed in his previous fights he was soft down there.”
Wilson has trained Hitchins since he was a child and has seen him develop from a novice to a 2016 Olympian to a titleholder. One of the growing pains he encountered was departing from Hitchins’ amateur style, which prioritized outside fighting and movement. The risk of being in the mid-range or on the inside means that counter shots can land – but the offensive reward is greater, exemplified by Hitchins’ first stoppage win inside the distance since 2022.
“You have to dare to be great,” Wilson said. “You have to take risks to get what you want.”
After his performance this weekend, Wilson believes Hitchins is primed for an extended reign at 140lbs.
“I see him as the best fighter in the world in his weight class,” Wilson said. “I see him being there for a long time.”
Hitchins is managed by Keith Connolly and announced after the fight that he is a promotional free agent. Wilson would like Hitchins to follow in the footsteps of fighters like Carlos Monzon, Jeff Chandler, and Marvin Hagler, who made a home at their weight class rather than immediately leaping to the next.
“I would like to see him make another title defense or two more before moving up to 147lbs,” Wilson said. “Because I strongly believe once you make those title defenses, you start to solidify yourself as a champion. That is what the great champions did.”