Richardson Hitchins: “If you’re not blessed with the God-given abilities I’ve got, there’s nothing he can do to fix that”

On Saturday evening (Sept 23) in Orlando, Richardson Hitchins has a chance to show that in his hardest take a look at to date an skilled campaigner like Jose Zepeda is not on his stage. The extremely assured and unbeaten super-lightweight, at present 16-0 (7) as a professional, spoke to Boxing News about his subsequent combat, Regis Prograis, turning into a legend, his largest inspiration in the sport and Montana Love.

BN: What are your ideas on Jose Zepeda and the combat itself?

RH: My opinion is he’s coming to combat. He’s again at it once more in one other large combat. He has one other large alternative. This is a man that’s 34 years previous, fought in three world title fights; time is ticking. He was not gonna get a chance like this [in] too many different locations. It was both combat a younger, stable, undefeated fighter like me or his administration staff have been like, “This is a waste of time because he’s not fighting the champions; he’s not fighting anybody else.” I don’t see him combating anyone else proper now so this chance for him proper now’s the good alternative for him to see what he’s obtained left in the sport of boxing as a result of, like I mentioned, time is ticking. I believe he will put together himself and be prepared for this chance as a result of if I used to be him I’d too. All the expertise he has, he’s been right here earlier than, so I don’t see him coming [in] any completely different than he has [before] in his 40 skilled fights and that’s prepared to combat.

BN: Given his expertise, would a powerful victory from you elevate your standing in the sport?

RH: I wouldn’t say Zepeda [has] obtained some large wins. I believe that’s a bit of far-fetched for those who actually take a look at his historical past. He’s been in the ring with some large names in the 140 division in Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez; these are high guys. But so far as him getting large wins, I believe that’s a bit overboard. He obtained a win in the Ivan Baranchyk combat in a combat of the yr the place they have been each rock ‘em sock ‘em robots.

BN: An enormous win for him I’d say.

RH: Yeah, a giant win for a man like him. I don’t assume Ivan Baranchyk was a menace at 140 at the moment. If that Ivan Baranchyk was at 140 proper now, I don’t assume he could be an excessive amount of of a menace for any high expertise in the 140 division. I believe Zepeda confirmed in that combat he wasn’t on that stage interval as a result of he was in a combat of the yr, which was entertaining for the followers. But once you take a look at it, that form of confirmed he had numerous work to do. If you’re a very excessive calibre boxer, that was a man you have been supposed to make your changes in opposition to and get it achieved in a method cleaner trend. Josue Vargas, I don’t need to discuss too unhealthy of him as a result of that’s somebody that’s coming from New York I grew up with at one time once we have been children. But once you take a look at the Josue Vargas win, he is not on that stage; like Zepeda knew coming into the combat. Vargas was a man who obtained harm in the combat prior to Zepeda which was [against] Willie Shaw who wasn’t a giant puncher. So, I believe these have been his two largest wins moreover the Pedraza combat. All these three names, the just one I might give credit score for is the Pedraza combat. I believe each different combat he fought in his skilled profession he struggled to present he was a distinct calibre and separate himself.

BN: So, would that then imply you’ve got to present you might be ranges above him and not battle?

RH: Right. I see Zepeda determining he has by no means been in a hoop with a man of my calibre. We speak about guys like Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis however Prograis has already proven he don’t have that skillset. Supposedly he’s the man that’s very compact, depends on a giant left hand and good higher physique motion. He don’t present versatility in any respect in his recreation. Regis Prograis don’t present blistering combos, he don’t present a elementary jab, he don’t present good footwork, quick ft; he don’t present numerous issues in his recreation. Guys like Ramirez and Prograis, they’re a technique, they’re coming straight for you. When it’s a man like me it’s an entire completely different adjustment Zepeda is gonna have to make. Like I say, for those who take a look at Zepeda’s profession, he has fought numerous guys he had the benefits over; guys that kinda had to push the combat at him. He’s by no means ever been in the ring with a man with as a lot athleticism as me. The most athletic man he’s been in the ring with, so far as agility goes, was perhaps Hank Lundy at 37 years previous. And he struggled in that combat. I believe when Zepeda will get in the ring with me his solely factor to take a look at is to see if I can take a punch.

BN: His win in opposition to Baranchyk was clearly a combat of the yr contender, however do these form of fights entertain you or do they expose flaws greater than anything?

RH: The combat is entertaining. I plan to combat proper now and I see you and your brother combating and y’all are placing one another down, y’all going into the fourth spherical and there’s knockdowns. I’m like, “Oh shit, these guys are…” however like I mentioned, that simply exhibits that so far as a boxer, the science, the craft you don’t actually have a lot to your recreation as a result of I’m taking a look at it like this. When I combat guys, I concentrate to every thing, and I state details. You take a look at the post-fight interview and it was a scary second as a result of he’d by no means been down in his profession earlier than and that was a second like, “What the fuck is going on?” Me, as a fighter, and a human being, I’m in a combat like that on nationwide tv with lots on the line and I’m getting dropped; naturally the better of me goes to come out. Any changes I’m gonna make I’m doing it proper there in that second. That exhibits proper there after one knockdown, two knockdowns, three knockdowns, 4 knockdowns, 5 knockdowns. He nonetheless couldn’t couldn’t make no adjustment so far as boxing until he caught Ivan Baranchyk with the identical shot he stored catching Baranchyk time and again with. That exhibits his stage so far as boxing. Like I mentioned, it confirmed he couldn’t take a punch and it confirmed that he couldn’t make changes as a boxer. Man, I’m not gonna lie to you, Zepeda is a man with a built-up report that obtained to a title combat plain and easy. There was a man he fought in Mexico after which he was in a position to get a shot at Terry Flanagan. [He] comes again, builds up his report extra in Mexico, and will get a shot for Jose Ramirez belt. Then he got here again and fought guys like Castaneda, Joseu Vargas and Hank Lundy and obtained one other shot once more at Prograis’ belt. He didn’t take the route I took to get to a world title.

BN: You’ve mentioned that see your self as being a legend of the sport. Who do you assume will be part of you in the future as a legend and who do you view as legends of the previous?

RH: Loads of guys deliver various things to the sport of boxing. You’ve obtained guys like Manny Pacquiao who was very proficient. Small, was in a position to go up. There’s numerous legends in the sport. My explicit legend is Floyd Mayweather. If you need to create the face of a boxing god, I’d say it’s Floyd Mayweather. A grasp of his craft. He was tremendous devoted to the sport of boxing and he was an ideal god for the sport of boxing. That’s my legend. You can examine guys like Sugar Ray Leonard and all these guys to Floyd Mayweather, however I really feel like these guys confirmed numerous vulnerability of their recreation despite the fact that they have been in large entertaining fights. If you take a look at boxing, Floyd is that man when it comes to a legend. Right now, folks I believe are going to be legends in the sport are guys like Jaron Ennis, Shakur Stevenson, myself, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis. These are can’t-miss skills. All these guys have that individual skillset and expertise you gained’t discover in too many different fighters. These guys have the potential to be a legend in the sport. It’s simply what you do in the days to come.

BN: You’ve additionally mentioned you need to encourage the subsequent era. Who evokes you?

RH: I really feel like Floyd is one among my largest inspirations. Guys like Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, these are guys which are my largest inspiration. Those are guys that I’ve been round, and I see their story. Everything I’m going via proper now they’ve already been via it. Seeing how they deal with it… and seeing how they took every thing… and the way they carried out. They got here from nothing and made themselves into one thing. I gotta give them their flowers for that. I take my hat off to them. I’m impressed by that and I need to be in the place they’re in in the future and from the appears of it I’ve been doing the proper issues. You’re right here proper now interviewing me for my first predominant occasion in my 17^th skilled combat, in order that goes to present what stage I’m at.

BN: How would you sum up Montana Love in a single phrase?

RH: Pussy.

BN: Is {that a} combat that you just nonetheless need?

RH: To be sincere, it was a combat the place I simply needed to show to Eddie [Hearn] he ain’t shit. He’s not on [the] kind of stage I’m on as a fighter. I felt like Montana was a man attempting to finesse his method to big-time boxing and get what he might get: like a giant combat. I’m prepared to show myself time and again versus whoever. Montana’s positively a proficient man however, in contrast to me, he’s not on my stage. And what can you do? If you’re not blessed with the God-given abilities I’ve obtained, there’s nothing he can do to fix that. I used to be in a position to dedicate myself to boxing and get the sure experiences I want to be on the stage I’m. I’m nonetheless paying my dues to boxing so I can discuss the method I discuss. If I say a man like Montana isn’t on my stage, I actually consider that.

BN: I learn in an interview from 2020 that you just consider you’ll in the future find yourself combating in the future at 160lbs. Is that one thing you can nonetheless see occurring in the future?

RH: I don’t know. I used to be taking a look at 147 (lbs) and taking a look at guys like “Boots” [Ennis] and the [Roiman] Villa man he fought and that weight class appeared large as hell. I believe the highest weight class I can go to realistically in the future is 154lbs. Maybe 160, I don’t know. I’m a kind of guys that’s extraordinarily devoted to the sport. I’m all the time in the health club and actually obsessed with mastering this factor referred to as boxing. I believe 154 is the largest weight class I see myself at and I believe I mentioned that at the time as a result of Floyd Mayweather [was] all the time a man who would take a look at me like, “Yo, with your size, you can possibly go up to 160lbs when you look at your frame”. Maybe. We don’t know.