Richardson Hitchins hopes to use the next few days to secure a big fight for his first ring appearance in 2026.
Hitchins, an unbeaten 140lbs titlist, benefited from a false start by the IBF, which prematurely ordered the Brooklyn native to next face mandatory challenger Lindolfo Delgado. BoxingScene has confirmed that the ruling was immediately rescinded upon a successful appeal filed by Hitchins’ team.
For now, Hitchins, 20-0 (8 KOs), has some wiggle room to secure a voluntary title defense before the IBF will likely reorder the bout with Delgado sometime next week.
Hitchins claimed the IBF junior welterweight title in a December 2024 win over Liam Paro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Just one defense has followed thus far, an eighth-round stoppage of former lineal and unified 135lbs champion George Kambosos last June 14 at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Earlier rumors suggested that Hitchins would next face Jamaine Ortiz on the January 31 “Ring VI” show in the main room at Madison Square Garden. The show is topped by the attractive showdown between WBO and lineal 140lbs champion Teofimo Lopez Jnr, 22-1 (13 KOs), and three-division titlist Shakur Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs), who is moving up in weight.
Both boxers were under the belief that the fight would move forward, before Hitchins was removed from the show upon its official announcement. Ortiz will instead face Keyshawn Davis in a non-title fight.
The development left Hitchins with limited options as the clock continues to count down toward the end of his voluntary window before he is again lined up to face Mexico’s Delgado, 24-0 (16 KOs).
One option that has recently surfaced is a desirable clash with Frank Martin, 19-1 (13 KOs).
The timing would be perfect, as Martin emphatically announced his arrival as a major player at 140lbs. The former lightweight title challenger Martin delivered a late Knockout of the Year entry when he blasted out Rances Barthelemy in the fourth round of their December 6 clash in San Antonio.
Both boxers have been publicly open to the showdown, having openly expressed interest via social media.
The only hangup – for now – is the fact that Martin is not currently ranked in the IBF’s top 15, a requirement to sanction a title fight. Such matters have a way of magically working out if a fight is far enough along toward being made. Time will tell if there is more to it than just loose chatter between the boxers.
The well is relatively dry beyond that, as the other titlists in the division are committed to title defenses. As mentioned above, Lopez is already set to face Stevenson later this month.
WBC titleholder Subriel Matias, 23-2 (22 KOs), will risk his belt against mandatory challenger Dalton Smith, 18-0 (13 KOs), this Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The winner will be immediately ordered to next face former titlist Alberto Puello.
WBA titlist Gary Antuanne Russell is on the hook for a mandatory title defense against Japan’s Andy Hiraoka. As previously reported by BoxingScene, the bout is due to land on the yet-to-be-announced February 21 Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia card in Las Vegas.
Delgado became the mandatory challenger after a highly questionable split decision win over Gabriel Gollaz last November 15 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Their 12-round IBF title eliminator saw Delgado prevail on two of the three cards, though the general takeaway was that Gollaz was extremely unlucky to not walk away with the win.
Per Rule 5.D. covering IBF mandatory title defenses, official notification will be sent out roughly 60 days from the deadline for the ordered title defense. Boxers are required to acknowledge and honor the order and cannot accept another fight during that period.
By that point, Hitchins will be locked into having to face Delgado or risk being stripped of his title. Similarly, Delgado would also have to commit to the fight to avoid being removed as the mandatory and from the IBF top 10.
