Richardson Hitchins vacating title, heading to welterweight: report

Richardson Hitchins will no longer compete at 140lbs.

Hitchins, 20-0 (8 KOs), is going to vacate his IBF world title and move up to welterweight, according to his manager, Keith Connolly, who spoke to Mike Coppinger of The Ring.

“It was a tough decision for Hitchins, but he’s outgrown the weight class,” Connolly said. “He’s been fighting at 140 since he was 16 as an amateur. Hitchins is an elite fighter, and I truly believe he’ll be even better and stronger at welterweight and that he will be fighting for a world title at 147 in the next 12 months.”

Hitchins is now 28 years old. He turned pro in 2017 and fought a pound or more above the junior welterweight limit for his first few years in the paid ranks. Hitchins consistently made 140 beginning with a November 2022 victory over Yomar Alamo.

In December 2024, Hitchins unseated Liam Paro via split decision for the IBF junior welterweight belt. He made one successful defense, dominating George Kambosos Jnr via seventh-round TKO last June.

Hitchins was supposed to have his second defense this past February against Oscar Duarte as the co-feature of the Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia pay-per-view. Hitchins made weight at 140lbs at the weigh-in the day before the bout, and he also came in within the IBF’s 150lbs limit for a second weigh-in held the next morning. But Hitchins became ill sometime afterward and pulled out of the bout.

As the Duarte match would have been a voluntary defense, the IBF then ordered Hitchins to take on mandatory challenger Lindolfo Delgado. 

Earlier this month came a potential complication for his title reign: Hitchins signed with Zuffa Boxing. Cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia was stripped of his IBF title earlier in March after winning Zuffa Boxing’s newly established belt for the weight division.

Delgado is presently ranked No. 1 by the IBF. The second spot is vacant. Duarte is in the No. 3 slot.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.