Richardson Hitchins must win tonight against IBF welterweight champion Liam Paro to bring excitement and charisma to the 140lb division.
Shakur-esque, but better
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) has the Shakur-esque fighting style but with much more power, aggression and less running. It’s what the light welterweight division needs to bring back some entertainment value that has been missing since Ryan Garcia’s one-year suspension. This guy, Hitchins, is pure gold and has the potential to revive this dead division.
Guys like Paro have nothing interesting about their fighting style and certainly not their personality. Paro doesn’t have the ability to sell fights to international fans, and he doesn’t have the pleasing style that Hitchins possesses.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn built Paro out of desire to face George Kambosos Jr. if he wins. What a waste of time. That’s what fans have to look forward to if Paro finds a way to win tonight against Hitchins.
Hearn is backing the wrong horse by focusing more on Paro at the expense of the real gem, Hitchins. It’s strange that a shrewd promoter like Hearn can’t see the superstar potential in Hitchins because he should be talking about him night and day. In his recent fights, he has knocked out Gustavo Lemos, Jose Zepeda and John Bauza.
The whole package
Hitchins, a native of Brooklyn, New York, has the talent and charisma to be a superstar. He just needs to figure out how to get past Paro tonight so he can take the IBF throne and put on interesting fights against the other champions.
I hope there is a good referee working tonight who can clean up Paro’s excessive attention, push, and movement. Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) will likely use these tactics to win, and they have been effective so far.
Paro-Hitchins will be a headliner at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event will be shown live on DAZN.
“Richardson Hitchins is of the same mold as Shiakur,” Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing, talking about tonight’s fight between IBF welterweight champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins.
“That’s what we love about boxing. There are big things for both guys, and it’s all or nothing.”
