Richardson Hitchins delivered a dominant and clinical performance on Saturday night, stopping George Kambosos Jr in the eighth round with a brutal body shot to retain his IBF light welterweight title. The Brooklyn native, headlining in his hometown for the first time, put on a masterclass from the opening bell, controlling the pace, range, and rhythm of the fight before closing the show in emphatic fashion.
The end came with a sharp left hook to the ribs that left Kambosos grimacing in pain. Though the Australian managed to get to his feet before the count of ten, he was clearly in no shape to continue, prompting the referee to wave off the contest. Hitchins improved to 20-0 with 8 knockouts, cementing his place as one of the division’s most polished and dangerous rising stars.
The fight had been preceded by a fiery buildup, with cancelled face-offs, heated exchanges between camps, and bold promises from Hitchins, who had vowed to deliver a punishing display. True to his word, he stepped into the ring brimming with confidence, dancing in to the cheers of a home crowd in the Theater at Madison Square Garden and immediately asserting his superiority.
Kambosos, who turned 32 on fight night, struggled from the start to cope with Hitchins’ speed, accuracy, and slick defense. The Australian former unified lightweight champion was game, as always, but looked outmatched and out-timed throughout. Hitchins was measured yet aggressive, landing crisp combinations while slipping and blocking much of what came back at him.
“I knew I had to go to some unsafe places to get some good shots off,” Hitchins said post-fight. “He caught me with a couple of good shots, but they didn’t hurt me. So I just went for the kill.”
The statistics told the same story. Hitchins landed 205 of 398 punches, a highly efficient 52%, while limiting Kambosos to just 57 landed out of 384 thrown—a paltry 15%. Each round went decisively in Hitchins’ favor before the final blow in the eighth sealed the deal.
For Kambosos, the loss marked his fourth in six fights, following defeats to Devin Haney (twice), Vasiliy Lomachenko, and now Hitchins. Once riding high off his stunning 2021 upset of Teófimo López, Kambosos now faces uncertainty about his future in the sport. “I still got up before 10, but the ref’s got to do his job,” he said. “Right now I’m going to go coach my son’s footie team.”
Hitchins, meanwhile, has options. One is a potential unification bout, possibly against López, who watched from ringside. However, Hitchins ended the night by setting his sights on Devin Haney, calling him out with unfiltered intensity and making clear where his ambitions lie in a stacked 140lb division.
