Richardson Hitchins and Gervonta Davis both came up on the same team under Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s promotional banner, and they shared the ring as sparring partners as well.
Hitchins and Davis have since gone their own ways outside of the Mayweather umbrella.
Hitchins is now the 140-pound IBF champion, while Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is a three-division belt holder and will be defending his WBA lightweight title Saturday against Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-1, 10 KOs).
In an interview with The Ring, Hitchins was very complimentary of Davis ahead of Tank’s tilt at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Prime Video and PPV.com.
“What separates Tank from the pack? He has everything in the book of boxing,” Hitchins told The Ring. “He's a smart fighter. He has awareness. He's not going out there to take one to get one. He's using his IQ, speed, craft, reaction time, pedigree, and experience, and he’s super accurate. He has every punch in the book. He can knock you out with a hook, uppercut, left hand. Tank is super powerful. You can tell that it's generational power.
“Tank's technique, accuracy, and speed is like a bullet. The power plus the speed and accuracy makes it dangerous. I wouldn't want to miss my jab and get countered with an uppercut.
“He's just like a f-----g crackhead athlete on steroids or some sh!t – facts.
“He's just on a different level when it comes to putting a pair of gloves on. He's a tremendous fighter when everyone else is limited. The only thing he does not have is height and long arms. He's also not that active. When it comes to everything else, he has everything in the book.”
Roach, the WBA title holder at 130 pounds, is moving up to 135 pounds for the chance to shock Davis, who is listed as a -1600 betting favorite. Roach is a +900 underdog, according to DraftKings.
“Lamont Roach is fundamentally good all around but Tank is a little more on every level – he's different,” said Hitchins. “Lamont has been boxing for a long time and should know his way to maneuver around the ring. But I think that Tank is too much.”
Manouk Akopyan is the lead U.S. writer for The Ring. Follow him on X and Instagram.