Throughout his steady rise in the super-lightweight division, RICHARDSON HITCHINS has maintained a flawless record, consistently avoiding any missteps along the way.
Not many people anticipate a change in the upcoming Matchroom USA bill on Saturday (April 6) in Las Vegas. This will be the first time he headlines the event, facing off against Gustavo Daniel Lemos, an Argentinean fighter who may be relatively unknown but is considered to be a formidable opponent. The fight is scheduled to take place at the Fountainebleau.
Hitchins, currently 26 years old, boasts an impressive record of 17-0. Apart from a single knockdown by Tre’Sean Wiggins five years ago, he has proven himself as a skilled fighter capable of maneuvering his way out of challenging circumstances. It’s worth noting that he has achieved only seven stoppages in his victories, highlighting his distinctive style in a weight class filled with powerful punchers.
Lemos seems to belong to that group, and he makes his way to the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas with an impressive record of ten consecutive knockout victories, stretching back to 2019. All of these wins were achieved in his home country of Argentina, mostly against opponents who were not in the same league as Hitchins. However, it is worth noting that he did manage to knock down and defeat Lee Selby in a lightweight bout in March 2022.
Since then, he has only engaged in a single fight, resulting in a first-round knockout of Javier Jose Clavero in December. This implies that he has spent less than three minutes in the boxing ring within the past 24 months. On the other hand, Hitchins, who holds the number nine ranking at 140lbs, has participated in a total of 34 rounds of intense action during the same time period.
In addition to gaining momentum, the New Yorker has been steadily improving with each fight. Demonstrating his ability to neutralize opponents’ power, he showcased his skills against Jose Zepeda and John Bauza in his last two bouts. Considered one of the top prospects in Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom USA stable, this upcoming fight provides an ideal platform for him to display his true potential. It appears that a unanimous decision victory is highly likely for Hitchins in this matchup.
In the upcoming match, Diego Pacheco and Shawn McCalman, both undefeated super-middleweights, are set to face off in a 12-round fight. However, it is highly unlikely that the match will go the distance. McCalman, with a record of 15-0 (7), has never boxed beyond an eight-round fight, making this a significant challenge against the formidable 23-year-old puncher, Pacheco.
With his impressive progress in the early stages of his career, the talented young fighter from California is being hailed as the division’s future. Having not gone the full distance in three years, he is expected to secure victory in the second half of the upcoming fight as well.
In another part of the card, Galal Yafai, the Olympic gold medalist from Birmingham, will be making his first appearance in Las Vegas. He will be facing Agustin Mauro Gauto in a captivating 10-round bout in the flyweight category. Yafai boasts an impressive record of 6 wins and no losses, and his most recent triumph came in December when he defeated the experienced Rocco Santomauro, who had a record of 22 wins and 2 losses.
Yafai will face a tougher opponent in Gauto from Argentina, who has only suffered one defeat. Yafai will need to maintain focus from the start against this formidable 26-year-old boxer. However, Yafai possesses the intelligence and ability to do so, and is expected to secure a comfortable victory on the scorecards.
London-based Australian Skye Nicolson is set for a momentous night as she takes on Sarah Mahfoud, who boasts a record of 14 wins and only 1 loss, for the vacant WBC featherweight title. This belt was previously held by Amanda Serrano, who voluntarily gave it up due to the WBC’s refusal to approve 12 three-minute round fights for women. Despite Serrano’s strong support for this format, she recently engaged in a groundbreaking 12-round bout against Danila Ramos in Orlando, although the WBC title was not at stake in that match.
In the meantime, Nicolson has been steadily rising in the WBC rankings, openly expressing her eagerness to eventually challenge the esteemed featherweight figure, Serrano. Having secured the interim title by defeating Sabrina Perez in September of the previous year, Nicolson now finds herself with the opportunity to acquire the complete championship belt, without even having to face Serrano in a match.
Despite her only defeat against Serrano back in 2022, Mahfoud is a former belt-holder at the weight. The Faroe Islands-born Dane represents a significant challenge for Nicolson, but this fight is still within her reach. Nicolson’s slick, hands-down style should allow her to secure a close points decision and potentially claim her first world title.
Additionally, rising super-featherweight talent Marc Castro will be participating in his first fight of the year. The 24-year-old, who currently holds a record of 11-0 with eight quick wins, only had the opportunity to compete in two fights in 2022. This time, Castro, hailing from Fresno, will engage in his second 10-round match as he squares off against the formidable Mexican opponent, Abraham Montoya.
After enduring a series of three consecutive defeats, the 29-year-old from Baja managed to bounce back with two consecutive victories in July and October last year. These wins earned him the opportunity to challenge Castro, and Montoya is well aware that a triumph in this match would greatly rejuvenate his career, which has spanned over a decade.
In addition, the card features a few six-round matches, showcasing two promising young fighters on the latest Matchroom USA event. One notable bout includes the electrifying New York fighter, Harley Mederos, who will end a 14-month hiatus as he faces Pedro Scharbaai in the lightweight division. Mederos, a former amateur with an impressive record of 17 national titles and a youth world bronze, currently holds a professional record of 5-0 (4). With high expectations in the professional boxing scene, Mederos aims to reignite his career on Saturday night.
After much anticipation, Steven Navarro, the super-flyweight from Los Angeles, is set to begin his professional journey with a thrilling six-round bout against Jose Lopez, a talented fighter hailing from Mexico but now residing in New York City.
The Verdict – Stacked show, albeit one with some big favourites in the ‘home’ corner.
