Being undefeated and a newly belted world champion has Richardson Hitchins on cloud-nine, but he hasn’t forgotten what it feels like to come up short.
Back in his amateur days, Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) was well-known and respected but his record wasn't perfect. Although he doesn't enjoy losing, he managed to get over them. However, when he reflects on his 2015 amateur loss to Jamaine Ortiz, Hitchins becomes irate.
“They robbed me,” said Hitchins to Matchroom Boxing during a sit-down interview.
Instead of keeping things in the past, Hitchins wants to even the score with Ortiz in the pros. Luckily for him, his IBF world title is the sort of bait that would hook his man.
Following a close points loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2024, Ortiz (19-2-1, 9 KOs) has bounced back nicely, winning two straight. His latest win came recently against Yomar Alamo.
While he dominated, Hitchins wasn’t totally impressed. From his point of view, Alamo is somewhat a shot fighter. Still, even with Hitchins yawning during Ortiz’s performance, the former Olympian is willing to give him a shot at his crown.
From an accomplishment standpoint, Ortiz still has work to do. He’s yet to win a world title, isn’t ranked by The Ring, and is a long way away from securing a mandatory spot in any of the four sanctioning bodies. Nevertheless, none of that matters to Hitchins. Ortiz still holds a win over him and until Hitchins gets his revenge, that will never sit right with him.
“It’s that time, we men now,” continued Hitchins as he sat closer to the camera. “He got family to feed, he wants to leave his mark on the sport. He feels like he can beat me, I feel like I can beat him. That’s what comes with the sport. Hopefully, we get to match up.”