EMBRACING an analyst role before Jaron Ennis' career-best stoppage win over Eimantas Stanionis to unify welterweight world titles, IBF junior-welterweight titleholder Richardson Hitchins soaked up the Atlantic City atmosphere.

In exactly two months on June 14, the Brooklyn-born champion (19-0, 7 KOs) will make his first world championship defense against former unified lightweight titlist George Kambosos Jr (22-3, 10 KOs) as reported by The Ring's Keith Idec this week.

Featuring on Matchroom's Before The Bell portion of the Ennis-Stanionis card, joined by WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs), the 27-year-old duo were asked about ideal fight destinations if they could pick one anywhere across the world.

Stevenson said Brooklyn's Barclays Center, New York, as he hadn't fought there and many American-based star names have - particularly divisional rival Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) and former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) on several occasions.

Hitchins? He fancies a trip across the pond, having seen and been sufficiently impressed by the infectious fan energy on display at previous events.

"The London fights look like a big ... their fans are really into their boxing, I can see myself fighting in the O2 Arena or something like that, maybe one day. They like to sing that ... What's that song? Sweet Caroline, yeah," he laughed.

Hitchins would've seen friend and multi-division world champion Claressa Shields headline London's O2 Arena with a victory over amateur rival Savannah Marshall in October 2022, while Arnold Barboza Jr and his team spoke glowingly of the UK after upsetting Jack Catterall to clinch the WBO interim world title in Manchester on February 15.

He's not the only American with this view either - Vergil Ortiz Jr, Keyshawn Davis and divisional rival Teofimo Lopez are among the names who have expressed a willingness to box on British shores at some stage in their careers, provided they have the right dance partner.

Timed too perfectly to be a coincidence, a Dalton Smith promotional video played during the DAZN intermission between fights before the evening's featured prelim and Hitchins was then asked his thoughts about the 28-year-old (17-0, 13 KOs) by broadcast host Justin Shackil.

"The only fight I watched of him was when he fought Zepeda after I did. You could tell he stole a lot of my tactics, a lot of the gameplan I used, he did to help him get the victory. He seems like a solid young fighter so hopefully me and him will probably meet soon," Hitchins said.

Former two-division world title challenger Jose Zepeda (38-5, 29 KOs) suffered consecutive defeats for the first time in his 15-year career, first a wide UD12 loss by Hitchins before Smith's fifth-round body shot stoppage in their Sheffield headliner six months later.

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn was understandably high on Dalton's ceiling, but the manner of that victory over a longtime world-level contender saw his stock rise before a troublesome neck-and-shoulder injury last summer shelved him at precisely the wrong time.

Rather than capitalise on that momentum and be thrown in deeper, he's taken what many deem softer touches to prepare for a lengthy stay among the divisional elite at 140-pounds, Hitchins included.

Smith, who headlines Sheffield's Park Community Arena next weekend against Canada's unheralded contender Mathieu Germain (26-2-1, 11 KOs), is the WBC's No. 1-ranked contender and naturally the risk-reward conundrum is a factor in planning his fight roadmap.

Provided he prevails as expected against the 35-year-old, he will face newly-minted champion Alberto Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) for a world title - WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirming to The Ring, this matchup would be mandated by the end of 2025.

There's still a long way to go before then, but while Catterall's rebuild after a second career defeat begins, Smith can make strides to close the gap - much like Adam Azim is trying to do - aware they share a promoter too for a potential in-house unification down the line.