RICHARDSON HITCHINS is but to place a foot mistaken throughout his comparatively serene ascent in direction of the higher reaches of the super-lightweight division.
And there usually are not many anticipating that to alter on Saturday (April 6) when he headlines a Matchroom USA invoice in Las Vegas for the primary time, with this conflict in opposition to the little-known however seemingly harmful Argentinean Gustavo Daniel Lemos set for the Fountainebleau.
At 26 years previous, Hitchins is now 17-0, and, apart from a knockdown by the hands of Tre’Sean Wiggins 5 years again, has emerged because the type of fighter who can field his method out of most conditions. He has simply seven stoppages amongst these wins, which says a lot about his model in a division stacked with large punchers.
Lemos seems to be one in all them and he arrives on the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas on a 10-fight knockout streak which dates again to 2019. All of them got here in his native Argentina and largely in opposition to opposition outdoors of Hitchins’ class, though he did drop and cease Lee Selby at light-weight in March 2022.
He has had just one struggle since then, a first-round knockout of Javier Jose Clavero in December that means he has boxed for lower than three minutes up to now 24 months. In the identical time-frame, Hitchins – quantity 9 ranked contender at 140lbs – has been concerned in 34 rounds of motion.
In addition to that momentum, the New Yorker can be bettering with each struggle and has proven in opposition to Jose Zepeda and John Bauza in his final two outings that he’s effectively geared up to nullify his opponent no matter their energy. He’s seen as one of many main lights in Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom USA steady and this needs to be a possibility to additional showcase what he’s all about. This one seems to be like a Hitchins UD ready to occur.
Beforehand, undefeated super-middleweights Diego Pacheco and Shawn McCalman will conflict in a scheduled 12-rounder however it’s unlikely to go the gap. McCalman is 15-0 (7) however has by no means boxed something above an eight-rounder so it is a noticeable step up in opposition to harmful 23-year-old puncher Pacheco.
The California-born teenager has been tipped as the way forward for the division following his surge via the early phases of his profession. He has not gone the gap for 3 years and will wrap this one up within the second half of the struggle too.
Elsewhere on the cardboard, Birmingham’s Olympic gold medalist Galal Yafai makes his Las Vegas debut in an intriguing 10-round conflict with Agustin Mauro Gauto at flyweight. Yafai is 6-0 and is coming off the again of a mature 10-round victory over 22-2 Rocco Santomauro in December.
Argentina’s once-beaten Gauto is one other step up for Yafai, who must keep switched on early in opposition to the 26-year-old puncher. He has the nous to take action and win this one comfortably on the playing cards.
Additionally it is an enormous night time for London-based Australian Skye Nicolson, who faces the 14-1 Sarah Mahfoud for the vacant WBC featherweight title. It was a belt which was held by Amanda Serrano till she determined to relinquish it when the WBC refused to sanction 12 three-minute spherical contests for girls. Serrano, a giant advocate of that format, has since taken half in an historic 12-threes contest in opposition to Danila Ramos in Orlando – with out the WBC title on the road.
In the meantime, Nicolson has been stealthily climbing the WBC rankings and had made no secret of her need to face featherweight icon Serrano finally. She received the interim title by beating Sabrina Perez in September final yr and can now get the possibility to say the complete belt with out even having to struggle Serrano.
Mahfoud, nevertheless, is a former belt-holder on the weight and her solely defeat got here in opposition to Serrano again in 2022. The Faroe Islands-born Dane represents a transparent step up for Nicolson however it is a winnable struggle for Nicolson, who ought to use her slick, hands-down model to safe a detailed factors determination and her first world title.
There may be additionally a primary struggle of the yr for rising super-featherweight expertise Marc Castro. The 24-year-old managed solely two fights in 2022, which moved him to 11-0 with eight fast. Now the person from Fresno will participate within the second 10-rounder of his profession when he faces robust Mexican Abraham Montoya.
The 29-year-old from Baja had a depressing run of three straight defeats however rebuilt with back-to-back wins final yr in July after which October. His reward for these wins was this crack at Castro and Montoya is aware of a victory right here would offer his decade-long profession with a big shot within the arm.
There are additionally a few six rounders early on within the card, with two kids given the chance on this newest Matchroom USA card. Notably, the thrilling New York puncher Harley Mederos will draw a line beneath 14 months of inactivity when he takes on Pedro Scharbaai at light-weight. Mederos received 17 nationwide titles and a youth world bronze as an newbie and is presently 5-0 (4) as an expert. There have been excessive hopes for him within the paid ranks and he’ll bid to get issues going once more on Saturday night time.
Lastly, Los Angeles super-flyweight Steven Navarro will kick off his skilled profession with a six-threes bout in opposition to 4-3-2 Mexico-born New Yorker Jose Lopez.
The Verdict – Stacked present, albeit one with some large favourites in the ‘dwelling’ nook.
