Subriel Matias congratulated Richardson Hitchins on Saturday night for his victory over IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro, informing him that he will see him soon. Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) knocked out Paro (25-1, 15 KOs), winning a 12-round split decision at Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(Source: Melina Pizano/Game Room)
If the fight were to happen, it would be a tough style for Hitchins because Matias wouldn’t be afraid to push the way Paro was. He was going to take Richardson down like Gustavo Lemos did but he shot hard.
Matias (22-2, 21 KOs) is hoping that Hitchins chooses to defend his recently won IBF belt from him, which is possible if he fails to get a shot at any of the big names that his promoter Eddie Hearn has said he wants to try. match him next. These are the four Hearn riffs on that he wants from Hitchin:
- Teofimo Lopez
- Devin Haney
- Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
- Jack Catterall
If Hearn can’t get any of the four to agree to face Hitchins, Matias will likely be the next guy he compares to. He is ranked #5 in the IBF, behind Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. Matias (21-2, 21 KOs) defeated Paro by a 12-round unanimous decision last summer on June 15.
“See you soon”
Richardson Hitchins will move up to 147 if this fight can be ordered. #Boxing pic.twitter.com/8XMqyoorqh
— Zain (@ZainBoxing) December 8, 2024
Hearn didn’t mention former IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias as a possible opponent for Hitchins, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to fight for it next. The four guys mentioned by Hearn will not be happy to fight him because his style is not good for all of them.
“When I got into the ring from the back, some of Liam’s team came up to me and said, ‘Do you think we might have a draw?’ Actually, no. I got 8-4. 7-5 if you want to be really generous, but no,” said Eddie Hearn on iFL TV, referring to Richardson Hitchins’ victory over Liam Paro last Saturday night.
“When he reads 117-111, I’m thinking, ‘Don’t tell me you’re giving something to Liam Paro.’ 117-111, he beats Liam Paro 9-3. It’s unbelievable. I said to Liam his problem was between five and ten, about eleven, all clear rounds of Richardson Hitchins.
“Those rounds, he actually banked six rounds when he was confirmed. You have to give him maybe 12. Maybe that went to Liam, but for me, it was 8-4 or 7-5. The right man won. It was a fun game.
It’s a good thing Hitchins wasn’t robbed last Saturday night because that would have spoiled the evening. The judge scored it 117-111 for Paro, who had to focus on the small things he was doing and ignored all the clean right hands Hitchins was throwing from the fifth round onwards.
Next In Line?
“He’s fighting Teofimo Lopez from Brooklyn. It is a war of consolidation. The build will be epic. This is a big fight,” Hearn said when asked who Hitchins will fight next. That’s what he did next because I think a fighter of Richardson’s caliber should be fighting those guys. [Jose ‘Rayo’] Valenzuela. Apparently, we have [Jack] Catterall. He is there [Teofimo] we are talking about moving to 147. Get it together before you go,” said Hearn.
Hearn could get one of those guys to agree to fight the Hitchins, but it would probably require the Honorable Turki Alalshikh to choose to fight in Riyadh. Hitchins doesn’t have the reputation of attracting the names he and Hearn would like to fight. It would require these fighters to be well paid to agree to fight Hitchin because of the odds they will lose.
