Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater will see the return of boxing on June 14. George Kambosos Jr. heads back to New York to challenge Richardson Hitchins for the IBF super lightweight title. The fight airs on DAZN.
Kambosos (22-3) is 2-0 in the Hulu Theater, beating Teofimo Lopez in 2021 to become the unified lightweight champion. It was an incredible performance, overshadowed after losing two straight against Devin Haney. He’s 2-3 since the Lopez fight and 2-1 in his last three fights.
The Aussie has faced some of the top boxers in the world. He looks to prove his skills can trump Hitchins’ and win gold in another division.
“I’ve fought champion after champion, pound-for-pound fighters, hall of famers. Forget the zero in boxing, I’ve been saying it constantly, it doesn’t matter any more in boxing,” Kambosos said. “People said to me, ‘you’ve got the belts, take an easy fight, a tune-up, pick who you want’.
“But I went straight into the fire. I think he’s a good fighter, but he’s not them. From the fights I’ve seen, I just don’t see it. He won’t dominate this time.”
It is the second straight fight against an Aussie for Hitchins (19-0). He beat Liam Paro in December for the IBF title. Born in Brooklyn, Hitchins wants to prove he’s worthy of holding gold.
With seven wins via knockout, Hitchins’ goal is to show it’s his time now, and Kambosos is a fighter of the past.
“What does he do so good that he thinks I’ve never seen? Is it the power, the activity, the pressure, the speed, the twitch? You don’t know what I do beast, I’m different,” Hitchins said. “I’m just going to show him levels. You will feel me, it’s something different, when I hit you, you are going to feel it.
“You can’t outfight me. We can stand in the middle of the ring, you can’t outfight me. I promise you everything I love, we stand in the middle of the ring and bang, you can’t outfight me.”
The Sporting News looks at the odds for this fight and makes a final prediction.
Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr. betting odds
Per the FanDuel Sportsbook, Richardson Hitchins is the -1350 favorite, while George Kambosos Jr. is the +720 underdog.
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Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr. betting trends
Via the FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Hitchins via KO/TKO: +220
- Hitchins via decision: -195
- Kambosos via KO/TKO: +1300
- Kambosos via decision: +1100
- Draw: +1900
Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr. odds, prediction
Hitchins fights at range and will have about a six-inch reach advantage in this fight. He has used his reach against his opponents, landing precise jabs at the right moment.
Against Gustavo Lemos, Hitchins landed 172 of 456 shots (37.7%). Hitchins landed 105 of 351 shots (29.9%) compared to 84 of 483 (17.4%) for Liam Paro. Hitchins landed single-digit shots until the seventh round, ramping up on his jabs in the later rounds on his way to holding gold.
Kambosos had a challenge in Jake Wyllie, the latter landing hard shots down the stretch despite losing. Using his right, it was an impressive performance for Kambosos, but not a throwback to when he landed 182 of 739 shots (24.6%) against Teofimo Lopez, outlanding Lopez 155-115 in power punches and 41-16 in rounds eleven and twelve.
MORE: Breaking down the entire Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr. undercard
Which Kambosos will show up on fight night: the one who beat Lopez or the recent version of the Aussie?
In a loss against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Kambosos landed 40 of 371 shots (10.8%), while Loma landed 175 of 480 (36.5%). He did not land double-digit shots and failed to land above five jabs. In a disputed decision win against Maxi Hughes, Kambosos landed 90 of 471 (19%) shots compared to 98 of 338 (29%) for Hughes.
Kambosos is a fast starter but may not be able to finish Hitchins early. It’s unlikely Hitchins abandons his game plan and attempts to brawl with Kambosos.
An upset isn’t impossible, but momentum appears on Hitchins’ side, enough to tire Kambosos out for the full twelve rounds.
Sporting News prediction: Hitchins via unanimous decision
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