New York: George Kambosos Jr. has made it clear he isn’t impressed by Richardson Hitchins ahead of their IBF junior welterweight title clash this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden’s Theater.
The former unified lightweight champion confidently compared Hitchins to Devin Haney, who dominantly defeated Kambosos twice. Haney outpointed him in back-to-back title fights in Melbourne, winning wide decisions in both bouts and cementing his status as the first undisputed lightweight champion of the four-belt era.
Despite that history, Kambosos remains adamant the fights were closer than they appeared, claiming he landed significant shots and held his own against Haney across 24 rounds. Now set to face the unbeaten Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), Kambosos (22-3, 10 KOs) argues the Brooklyn native hasn’t proven himself against top-tier opponents.
Hitchins, who won the belt from Australian Liam Paro in December via split decision, previously dominated veteran Jose Zepeda. Still, Kambosos sees himself as the real test, stating Hitchins “is not one-tenth of a Devin Haney.”
Hitchins enters the June 14 bout as a firm 16-1 favorite, backed by oddsmakers at DraftKings. Kambosos is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jake Wyllie in March but had gone 1-3 in his previous four bouts, including losses to Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
The IBF, however, kept him high in the rankings, crediting the level of his opposition. Now 31, Kambosos is determined to prove he still belongs at the elite level when he steps into the ring against the 27-year-old Hitchins, a 2016 Haitian Olympian.
