Boxing

Richardson Hitchins vs George Kambosos Date Set

Richardson Hitchins will make the first defense of his junior welterweight title vs. George Kambosos.

Nathaniel Marrero

Richardson Hitchins
Richardson Hitchins / IMAGO/AAP

One of boxing's worst kept secrets now appears to be all but official.

The Ring reported on Monday evening that Richardson Hitchins will make the first defense of his IBF junior welterweight title against George Kambosos on June 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) became the IBF junior welterweight champion with a split decision victory over Liam Paro on Dec. 7 in Puerto Rico.

Kambosos is coming off a unanimous decision victory over late-replacement Jake Wylie on March 22 in Australia. The Australian native is the former unified lightweight champion with his upset split decision victory over Teofimo Lopez on Nov. 27, 2021, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Kambosos (22-3, 10 KOs) has since lost three of his last five fights, though, they came against two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He lost twice to Devin Haney by unanimous decision and was stopped by Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 12.

The two have gone back and forth on social media and wasted no time taking shots at each other again, all but hinting at the fight finally being official.

For Hitchins, Kambosos represents the biggest name of his career and an opportunity to assert himself in a crowded junior welterweight division in his home state of New York. For Kambosos getting a title shot in just his second fight at junior welterweight after a win over a tough, but far-from-proven Wylie is another example of the good fortune he's had in his career.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero