Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) put on a masterclass, defeating IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) by a 12-round split decision on Saturday night at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Scores
117-111: Paro
116-112: Hitchins
116-112: Hitchins
It was a sweep from round five, with Hitchins dominating the last eight rounds of the fight. Paro’s score was terrible, 117-111.
“I was hoping they wouldn’t rob me. I’m just happy to be a world champion. I knew when I woke up I would be champion,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put pressure on me. I knew I was going to get him.
“Tonight, I know I showed him I was on a different level. Once I figured him out, I took over. I want Teofimo in New York, unification. I think it will be a very lucrative fight.”
“Hitchins is a hell of a champion. It’s his moment. I won’t steal it from him,” said Paro. “He’s a hell of a boxer. He was the better man tonight. His timing was good. We felt we closed it the last two rounds. I’ll be back.”
“I thought Liam started well. The sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth,” said Eddie Hearn about Hitchins. “Big respect for Paro taking the mandatory. He’s a great kid on the same level as Shakur. Now, he has a belt. He wants Teofimo Lopez. Right now, he’s world champion. He’ll be chasing the best in the sport.”
Undercard Results
– Henry Lebron (20-0, 10 KOs) won an unimpressive 10-round unanimous decision over Christopher Diaz (29-5, 19 KOs) in super featherweight action. Lebron was on his bike through the second half of the fight after eating some big right hands from Diaz. Diaz’s right hands and body shots bothered Lebron, making him hesitant to stand and fight.
The scores were 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94. Diaz wasn’t letting his hands go enough to take advantage of his power advantage over Lebron. When he would catch up to Lebron, Diaz waited too long before throwing.
Overall, Lebron didn’t look great, and he will have to improve to have a chance of beating one of the better contenders, Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez. Based on this performance, I wouldn’t give Lebron any chance against him.
– Flyweight prospect Yaniel Rivera (7-0, 3 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Angel Gonzalez (14-1, 7 KOs) in the fourth round. Rivera dropped Gonzalez, 31, three times in the fight.
Once in round three with a right hook, a second time with a left to the body in round four, and then a final time with an accumulation of shots. Referee Luis Pabon then halted the contest after the third knockdown.
“I want to say thank you to everyone here. I think this fight showed that I’m ready for any champion. I want to be closer to a world title,” said Rivera. “I’ve been promising this throughout my camp that I was going to put on a great fight and a great show.”
The 2020 Olympian Rivera looks like he’s ready to challenge for a world title. He’s 27 and has a lot of amateur experience, and it would be interesting to see him take on one of the champions at flyweight.
– Agustin Ezequiel Quintana (21-2-1, 13 KOs) pulled off a big upset, beating one of Matchroom Boxing’s biggest prospects, lightweight Marc Castro (13-1, 8 KOs), winning a 10-round split decision in the first fight of the main card. The former amateur star, Castro, 25, took the early rounds with his volume punching.
The scores:
– 97-93: Quintana
– 96-94: Castro
– 96-94: Quintana
Quintana came on in the second half, using pressure and hard punches to hurt Castro with big shots in round eight. He also dominated the ninth, connecting on hard shots that snapped Castro’s head back repeatedly. In the tenth, Castro bulled Quintana to the ropes, using his upper-body strength to keep him pinning for most of the round.
The ring sponsorship emblem was a slip hazard throughout the contest, causing both fighters to repeatedly slip on it, forcing them to fight near the ropes. This could play into the main event fighter Liam Paro’s hands tonight in his match against the slick boxer Richardson Hitchins.