{"id":190562,"date":"2025-06-17T02:45:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T02:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/190562\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T02:45:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T02:45:14","slug":"gary-antuanne-russell-expresses-disappointment-as-richardson-hitchins-avoids-unification-bout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/190562\/","title":{"rendered":"Gary Antuanne Russell Expresses Disappointment As Richardson Hitchins Avoids Unification Bout"},"content":{"rendered":"

WBA light welterweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell expressed disappointment today that IBF champ Richardson Hitchins has shown no interest in fighting him in a unification after beating veteran George Kambosos Jr. last Saturday night. Russell pointed out that he\u2019d beaten Hitchins four times in the amateurs and holds a title in his weight class, yet he was not showing any interest in fighting him.<\/p>\n

Turki Alalshikh would be doing the sport a solid if he set up a fight between Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins next. There would be some weeding out going on. We\u2019d see what\u2019s what, whether Hitchins is for real or a fake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hitchins: Business Over Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The answer is obvious. Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) isn\u2019t interested in legacy. His career is all about business, which is why he ignored his #1 mandatory opponent, Subriael Matias, and chose to fight Kambosos Jr. last Saturday. The Aussie came into the fight with a 2-3 record in his last five fights, and one of those wins was a very questionable decision over Maxi Hughes.<\/p>\n

The selection of Kambosos showed that Hitchins is focused on making money fights, and he wants to make sure he doesn\u2019t get beaten. Russell would be all wrong for Hitchin. He can punch, be rugged, and would overwhelm Hitchins with his power.<\/p>\n

Hitchins mentioned wanting to fight welterweight contender Devin Haney and WBO champion Teofimo Lopez, but not Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) last Saturday night after knocking out the overmatched, old-looking Kambosos in the eighth round in a non-competitive fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.<\/p>\n

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How can a guy lose to me 4x in the amateurs we both have belts in the same division and yet you don\u2019t even want to fight me.Boxing is getting soft for real.I\u2019ll fight anyone as long as it makes sense money or legacy<\/p>\n

\u2014 Gary Antuanne Russell (@GaryAntuanne) June 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Boxing\u2019s New Money Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hitchins is the new kind of fighters in the sport now. They don\u2019t focus on fighting the best. They just go after sure-thing fights or look to cash out against fighters that have already arrived.<\/p>\n

Promoter Eddie Hearn helped Hitchins into this spot by lining him up with the soft touch Kambosos. The thanks he gets is Hitchins announcing his contract is up with Matchroom last Saturday, and he\u2019s now a promotional free agent. He\u2019s hoping for greener pastures with somebody. It won\u2019t be Turki Alalshikh, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Hitchins stopped him, it was off pure pain. He was hurting. He hit him with that first bodyshot, and his face changed. The whole fight changed from there,\u201d said coach Greg Hackett to TBISE<\/a> about Ricyardson Hitchins\u2019 win over veteran George Kambosos last Saturday.<\/p>\n

As big as Hitchins looked inside the ring last Saturday, it\u2019s not surprising that he was hurting the much smaller Kambosos. It looked like a fight between a welterweight and a small lightweight. Hitchins can somehow still make weight for the 140-lb division. But he should be fighting at 147. He doesn\u2019t possess the power to fight at welterweight. So, it\u2019s understandable why he\u2019s killing himself to stay at light welterweight for as long as possible.<\/p>\n

Hitchins\u2019 Size at 140<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHitchins was already in the lead, but you could see at that point that he was ready to do damage,\u201d said Hackett. \u201cWith his size [at 140], you can do that to guys. He\u2019s 5\u201910 1\/2\u2033 fighting at 140. He\u2019s one of the giants at 140. That\u2019s the type of punishment he can be putting on guys if he believes in himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hitchins can overwhelm lesser fighters like Kambosos, but his chances of doing that against the elite at 140 are slim. Put him in against Russell, Matias, Keyshawn Davis, and Ernesto Mercado, and he would likely be exposed. That might be the reason why he\u2019s not shown an eagerness to fight any of them. He looked good against Kambosos, but almost anyone would. Kambosos\u2019 last opponent, a little-known Australian domestic-level fighter, Jake Wylie, gave him fits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that fight is a great fight,\u201d said Greg about a fight between Hitchins and Devin Haney. \u201cNeither one of them is known as a big puncher. They\u2019re both boxers. They both got good height and long arms, but the mentality of the two being thinkers. That night, they\u2019ll be fighters. It\u2019s going to get to the point where they\u2019ll realize, \u2018I can\u2019t outthink him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boxing News 24<\/a> \u00bb Gary Antuanne Russell Expresses Disappointment as Richardson Hitchins Avoids Unification Bout<\/p>\n

Last Updated on 06\/16\/2025 \t<\/p>\n