Apparently, hugs and shoves work in Las Vegas, because that’s the only way to give Richardson Hitchins a decisive victory over Gustavo Lemos. And yet here we are, Lemos coming off the worst blow I’ve seen in a long time, and Hitchins (18-0, 7 KO) walking away still undefeated and in mandatory position to fight for the IBF belt.
The result deserves nothing more than a poop emoji and a .GIF of someone vomiting, but let’s recap anyway! Lemos (29-1, 19 KO) came out quick, throwing demanding and often, and looked like the latest fighter in a proud history of Argentina’s infamous bogeymen and nervous specialists. Hitchins started grabbing and holding early, trying to really establish his signature jab, until Lemos started to snail-paced down a bit in the fourth round.
Hitchins was at his best in the sixth and seventh, relaxing his hands more often as Lemos slowed down, but Lemos hit the gas pedal again and finished the final four rounds powerful. Early in the 8th, Hitchins was wounded and Hitchins grabbed and held him without warning.
Hitchins spent most of the 12th and final round escaping or grappling, but somehow all three judges awarded him points. The official score was 117-111, 115-113, 115-113 in favor of Hitchins, with Bad Left Hook unofficially 116-112 in favor of Lemos.
Even the commentary team, which included Claressa Shields, who had actively trained and supported Hitchins throughout the fight, openly mocked the 117-111 score. Just an absolute shame, a hopeless result and a great pity for Gustavo Lemos, who fought brutally but effectively, did much more and better and deserved a show of hands at the end.
Diego Pacheco UD-10 Shawn McCalman
Diego Pacheco will have none of tonight’s action in his career, but it will end with a decision victory over the surprisingly powerful Shawn McCalman.
McCalman (15-1, 7 KO) made the fight work for him early on, making Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO) uncomfortable in the clinch. Pacheco started flat, largely reacting to McCalman’s work rather than taking control of the fight himself. Meanwhile, McCalman continually rushed into action and took advantage of repeated draws.
McCalman didn’t have the power to really damage Pacheco, landing a massive left hand into the other that barely made Pacheco blink. McCalman, however, challenged Pacheco in other ways, receiving multiple warnings for inappropriate tactics such as shoulder thrusts and holds. He and Pacheco traded bulky blows in the 7th, but Pacheco prevailed in the exchanges, finishing much stronger than he started.
It wasn’t pretty, but Pacheco did enough to earn a unanimous decision with official scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94. Hopefully the fight also taught Pacheco a thing or two about dealing with an opponent who’s eager to grab.
Galal Yafai via TKO-8 Agustin Gauto
Another win for Galal Yafai, but another fight where he didn’t like to fight inside and took more pristine shots than a top-tier fighter probably should. Yafai (7-0, 5 KO) had Agustin Gauto wobbly in the first round, consistently breaking the guard with his left hand, which resulted in Gauto being assessed by the doctor after round 4.
Gauto (21-2, 15 KO) caught Yafai with some massive shots, including a fantastic pair of counterattacks in the 5th minute, but Yafai never seemed to be in any real danger. The worst injuries he sustained came from the collision of heads in the 6th, an accidental impact that caused a significant cut to Yafai’s eyebrow.
Yafai also continued his habit of pushing and shoving throughout the fight, for which he was warned numerous times but was never actually punished. Fighting from a distance and not caring much about the blows he received in return, Yafai inflicted more and more damage until the referee finally stepped in and stopped the fight shortly before the end of the eighth quarter.
Other results:
- Skye Nicolson UD-10 Sarah Mahfoud (100-90, 100-90, 99-91)
- Marc Castro UD-10 Abraham Montoya (100-90, 98-92, 97-93)
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