Hitchins Demolishes Kambosos: Retains World Title with Spectacular KO

Richardson Hitchins demonstrated his superiority over the former unified lightweight champion, George Kambosos Jr., with a technical knockout in the eighth round, retaining the IBF super lightweight championship at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The anticipation for this fight was charged with tension, with Hitchins and Kambosos showing their rivalry during fight week, starring in numerous verbal exchanges. However, Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) had the last word, knocking out Kambosos (22-4, 10 KOs) with a body shot, just after asking his opponent’s corner to stop the fight. Hitchins, 27, delivered a dominant performance, fulfilling his promise to end the fight before the set distance.

I’ve been telling the boxing world I was coming, and they should have listened. Now I’m here.

Richardson Hitchins

Kambosos, 32, was looking to become a two-division champion, after having been unified lightweight champion after defeating Teofimo López in 2021. However, his record in his last five fights was 2-3, with losses to Devin Haney (twice) and Vasiliy Lomachenko, before facing Hitchins. Despite Kambosos’ bravery, his opponent, younger and faster, widely outperformed him. According to CompuBox, Hitchins connected 205 of 398 punches (51.5%), while Kambosos only managed to connect 57 of his 384 punches thrown (14.8%). Kambosos tried to close the distance from the start, but Hitchins, taking advantage of his six-inch reach advantage, controlled the fight with his jab and right-hand combinations. After two rounds, Kambosos was already showing signs of the punishment received from Hitchins’ jab, with a bruise under his right eye. The Australian boxer, however, remained firm in his resolve. In the fifth round, Hitchins hurt Kambosos with a body shot, and patiently wore down his injured opponent. It was only a matter of time before the opportunity presented itself again, and Hitchins made the most of it in the eighth round.

I smelled blood in the water. I knew I had to go to unsafe places to land good punches. I knew I had good defense and could take a hit. He didn’t hurt me, so I went in for the finish.

Richardson Hitchins

Hitchins started the eighth round with left hooks that found their target. Hitchins began talking to Kambosos’ corner, asking them if they wanted to stop the fight, before a body shot sent the Australian to the canvas for good at 2:33. When asked what he said to Kambosos’ corner, Hitchins replied:

I told his father that if he loved his son, he should stop the fight.

Richardson Hitchins

This was Hitchins’ first title defense after defeating Liam Paro by decision in December, and it was his best performance to date. After the victory, Hitchins announced that he would become a free agent and challenged former undisputed lightweight champion Haney. However, WBO super lightweight champion Lopez entered the ring and requested a unification fight between the two. Hitchins is not short of options for his next title defense, but on this night, the Brooklyn boxer’s performance announced his arrival as one of the best fighters in the super lightweight division.