Richardson Hitchins

Richardson Hitchins is an American professional boxer who rose through the light‑welterweight ranks to win a world title and has since moved up to welterweight. Fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, Hitchins boxes from an orthodox stance, stands 178 cm tall with a 188 cm reach, and carries the nickname "Africa." As of the supplied dossier he is 21–0 with eight stoppage victories. Hitchins turned pro in March 2017 and began his career in New York, recording early stoppages and steady progress through four‑ and six‑round fights at venues such as the Barclays Center. He built his experience with a string of decision wins interspersed with emphatic early stoppages — including first‑round and second‑round knockout victories — before stepping up to eight‑ and ten‑round competition in 2019 and 2020. By late 2019 and into 2020 he was fighting on larger cards in Las Vegas and at the Mohegan Sun Arena, extending his unbeaten run through 10‑round opponents. A regional breakthrough came on November 12, 2022, when Hitchins stopped Yomar Álamo via corner retirement in the eighth round to claim the vacant IBF North American light‑welterweight title. He consolidated that position with a unanimous decision over John Bauza in February 2023, a night that saw him pick up the vacant WBC USA light‑welterweight title while retaining the IBF North American belt. Hitchins continued to climb the ladder with a high‑profile unanimous decision over former title challenger José Zepeda in September 2023, a performance that captured the vacant WBC Silver and NABO light‑welterweight titles while keeping his IBF North American strap. In April 2024 he recorded a unanimous decision over Gustavo Daniel Lemos; contemporary reporting cited in the dossier notes that the outcome was widely described as controversial by media and observers, though the result is recorded as a win. On December 7, 2024 Hitchins reached the sport’s summit at 140 lb, earning the IBF light‑welterweight world title via split decision over Liam Paro in San Juan. He made his first defence on June 14, 2025, stopping former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. in the eighth round at Madison Square Garden’s Theater. According to the IBF, Hitchins notified the body that he was relinquishing (vacating) the IBF junior‑welterweight (light‑welterweight / 140 lb) world title; the federation received that notification on April 20, 2026, and he is not a current world champion. After vacating, Hitchins returned to action at welterweight on July 26, 2026, winning a unanimous decision over Ricardo Salas at a Zuffa Boxing event in New York. Across 21 pro fights he has collected regional and international belts, a world title, and a 21–0 record (8 KOs), positioning him as a notable American presence now campaigning at welterweight.