Richardson Hitchins | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 26, 1997 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Africa [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Light welterweight | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Richardson Hitchins (born September 26, 1997) is an American professional boxer, who has held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight title since December 2024.
Hitchins was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. [2] [3] Brought up by his mother, Jolia Jacques, he spent his summer days assisting her in selling water bottles at a park to help pay bills. [4] A fan of WWE, Hitchins first took an interest in boxing after watching Floyd Mayweather Jr. make an appearance for the wrestling promotion in 2008. [5] He began training at age 12 and credits his childhood gym, Atlas Cops & Kids, for keeping him away from the streets. [6]
As an amateur at the national level, Hitchins won back to back New York Golden Gloves. [7] At the international level, having failed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, he decided to represent his parents' country instead. [8] Representing Haiti at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, [9] he lost in the opening round to Gary Antuanne Russell. [10]
Hitchins made his professional debut on March 4, 2017, defeating Mario Perez by TKO in the first round. [11] He compiled a record of 14–0 with six wins by way of knockout (KO), defeating former IBF super featherweight champion Argenis Mendez along the way. [12]
In his first pro fight since signing with Matchroom Boxing, Hitchins faced Yomar Álamo for the vacant IBF North American light welterweight title on November 12, 2022. [13] He won the bout after Álamo's corner decided to call an end to the contest at the conclusion of the eighth round. [14] [15]
On February 4, 2023, Hitchins faced John Bauza with the IBF North American and WBC USA light welterweight titles on the line. [16] Hitchins dominated the fight, knocking Bauza down in the first and fourth rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the fight 100–88. [17] [18]
Looking to add the vacant WBC Silver and NABO light welterweight titles to his collection, Hitchins faced Jose Zepeda on September 23, 2023. [19] [20] He controlled the bout from start to finish, winning by unanimous decision. The three judges scored the bout 120–108, 120–108, and 119–109, all in favor of Hitchins. [21] [22]
On April 6, 2024 in Las Vegas, Hitchins was scheduled to face Gustavo Daniel Lemos in the IBF super lightweight title eliminator. [23] [24] [25] Hitchins, in a very controversial outcome, defeated Lemos via unanimous decision. [26]
Hitchins challenged Liam Paro for his IBF light-welterweight title on 7 December 2024 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, dethroning the champion by split decision with two ringside judges scoring the fight 116-112 in his favour while the third had it 117-111 for his opponent. [27] [28] [29]
Hitchins was scheduled to make the first defense of his IBF light welterweight title against George Kambosos Jr. on June 14, 2025, in New York. [30] [31] [32] Hitchins defeated Kambosos Jr. by eighth-round knockout to retain his title. [33]
Hitchins currently lives and trains in Brooklyn, New York. [34] He has been with longtime trainer Lenny Wilson since he was 15. [35] [3] Hitchins is currently signed with Matchroom Boxing. [36] He was previously signed with Mayweather Promotions, founded by Floyd Mayweather Jr., immediately before turning pro. [37] [38]
| 20 fights | 20 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 12 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | George Kambosos Jr | TKO | 8 (12), 2:33 | Jun 14, 2025 | The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York | Retained IBF light welterweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Liam Paro | SD | 12 | Dec 7, 2024 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won IBF light welterweight title |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Gustavo Daniel Lemos | UD | 12 | Apr 6, 2024 | Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Jose Zepeda | UD | 12 | Sep 23, 2023 | Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Retained IBF North American light welterweight title; Won vacant WBC Silver and NABO light welterweight titles |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | John Bauza | UD | 10 | Feb 4, 2023 | MSG Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained IBF North American light welterweight title; Won vacant WBC USA light welterweight title |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Yomar Álamo | RTD | 8 (10), 3:00 | Nov 12, 2022 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | Won vacant IBF North American light welterweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Angel Sarinana Rodriguez | TKO | 4 (10), 1:48 | May 21, 2022 | Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Malik Hawkins | UD | 10 | Dec 18, 2021 | Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Argenis Mendez | SD | 10 | Dec 12, 2020 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Nicholas DeLomba | UD | 10 | Feb 28, 2020 | Sam's Town Hotel, Sunrise Manor, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Kevin Johnson | UD | 10 | Nov 1, 2019 | Sam's Town Hotel, Sunrise Manor, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Alejandro Munera | RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | May 18, 2019 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | David Morales | RTD | 3 (6), 3:00 | Mar 2, 2019 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Tre'Sean Wiggins | UD | 8 | Jan 17, 2019 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Cesar Valenzuela | UD | 6 | Sep 8, 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Alexander Charneco | KO | 1 (6), 1:17 | Apr 21, 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Charles Stanford | TKO | 2 (6), 2:15 | Mar 3, 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jordan Morales | UD | 4 | Oct 14, 2017 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Alexander Picot | UD | 4 | Apr 22, 2017 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Mario Alberto Perez Navarro | TKO | 1 (4), 1:33 | Mar 4, 2017 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)