Brian Norman Sr. says he doesn’t believe Richardson Hitchins is grave about wanting to fight the winner of his son’s Nov. 22 fight against Devin Haney. He believes Hitchins is just talking to stay relevant because on June 14, 2025, after an eighth-round TKO victory over George Kambosos Jr. he didn’t fight any fights.
Matias, Russell and Keyshawn are waiting
Norman Sr. points out that the 140-pound champions have been challenging Hitchins, but he’s not trying to fight any of them. It’s not just the champions. The players also challenged him, but he showed no interest in fighting.
The players who called out Hitchins
Subriel Mathias
Ernesto Mercado
Keyshawn Davis
Gary Antuanne Russell
Lamont Roach
Devin Haney
Teofimo Lopez
Hitchins (20-0, 8 KO) commented on social media this week that he wants the winner of the Haney vs. Norman Jr. fight. He sounded grave because now that he has decided not to re-sign with Matchroom, he no longer has any options for high-paying fights.
“You have to think about Gary Antuanne Russell calling him out and Matias calling him out. Richardson Hitchins is not going to respond to any fight he may actually have,” Brian Norman Sr. said. MillCity Boxingin reaction to the information that Richardson Hitchins announced the winner of the Brian Norman Jr. fight. with Devin Haney.
Free agency without queues
It cannot be ruled out that Hitchins will seriously want to fight the winner of the Haney vs. Norman Jr. fight. With Turki Alalshikh showing no interest in putting Richardson on his Riyad season highlights after publicly announcing his free agency following the win over Kambosos Jr. June 14, fight with the winner of the Haney-Norman Jr. battle. may be his only chance to fight at one of Turki’s events.
The Saudi scene is slipping away
If this is the only way Hitchins can get a taste of some of the Saudi money, it makes sense for him to stick his neck out against whoever comes out victorious in the Devin vs. BrianNorman Jr. Even if Hitchins gets blown apart financially, it will be worth it. He would still have a safety net IBF 140-pound title, which he is expected to return to.
Since Hitchins would move up to 147 pounds to fight for the WBO welterweight title against the winner of the Nov. 22 fight, it’s a risk-free situation for him. He earns millions for this opportunity, and he can crying on the way to the bank if he is defeated. The best part of all this is that Hitchinns will still hold the IBF airy welterweight belt.
“Richardson Hitchins isn’t going to fight anyone. You’re going to be talking about the Devin Haney fight and the winner of that fight. People are calling you names all over the division you’re in. You haven’t responded to a single one of them,” Norman Sr. said.
Disturbingly, Hitchins never agreed to fight any of the sharks that called him. Would it be asking too much for Richardson to step into the ring with Antuanne Russell, Matias or Keyshawn? What about 23-year-old Mercado? Why not fight him?
At 28 years elderly, Hitchins isn’t getting any younger and still hasn’t beaten anyone of note. His best career win was against faded one-hit wonder Kambosos, who entered the fight last June with a slim record of 1-3 in his previous four fights. Hitchins should have said yes to Russell, Matias or Mercado by now.
“He’s got a whole division of champions. You’re not going to unite. They’re ready to fight you and they want to fight you. Teo and Richardson Hitchins are the worst people because they’re worried about what the fans will say,” Brian Sr. said.
Tom Galm has been vigorous on the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends and fighter psychology.
Dave Allen has predicted how compatriot Conor Benn will fare if he faces Ryan Garcia later this year.
Both pairs are to break off contact with each other before the end of 2026, but the date and place of their fight for the world title have not been officially announced.
It is alleged that Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing never obtained consent from Golden Boy to proceed with the fight between Benn and Garcia, who is reportedly still under contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s promotional team.
At the same time, White stated at the Zuffa Boxing 07 post-fight press conference that announcements were imminent regarding the Garcia-Benn fight, which is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas.
This would mean “King Ry” will make his first defense of the WBC welterweight title he won by unanimous decision over Mario Barrios in February.
Meanwhile, Benn is the mandatory challenger for the WBC 147-pound title, even though he hasn’t made that weight since stopping Chris van Heerden in the second round in 2022.
“At first glance, I can’t imagine Conor being good enough to beat Garcia. Conor is a good fighter, don’t get me wrong.
“I think he’s good, he’s really athletic, but [I] just place Garcia in the top bracket. In my opinion, it will be possible to stop Garcia. I think it’s probably a level or two above where we saw Conor. But it’s an captivating fight.”
Indeed, Benn has yet to establish himself as a world-class operator, even after back-to-back points victories over faded versions of Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis.
“This man said he wanted the number 144,” Bill told Fight Hub TV. “He said, ‘We’ve got to sit down like businessmen and make this happen,’ right? Well, we’ve already sat down like businessmen. We’re ready to make it happen.”
Elder Haney also rejected suggestions that the catchweight proposal would represent a sudden change of plans.
“It’s not so sudden. 144 is a welterweight. Are you crazy or what?” Haney said. “At welterweight, we range from 140 to 147.”
As the conversation turned to Keyshawn Davis and his position as a top contender for the WBO title, Haney repeatedly pointed to what he believed to be a better opportunity.
“What is the most significant boxing fight going on right now?” Haney asked. “Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.”
Haney acknowledged that Davis remains part of the bigger picture, but pointed out that Stevenson’s matchup has been years in the making.
“This case has been brewing for seven, eight, nine, 10 years, whatever it was,” Haney said. “Just rest and we’ll get it done. He’s on the list. He was on the list before he was on the list, and he’ll stay on the list.”
Time will tell if the fight comes to fruition, but Bill Haney’s comments were perhaps the strongest indication yet that Team Haney is sedate about racing Stevenson at the proposed catchweight of 144 pounds.
The situation could become more complicated if the WBO formally orders Haney to fulfill his mandatory obligation to Davis. Until then, it appears the Haneys are turning their attention to what they believe is the biggest fight available.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most significant fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Oscar De La Hoya believes Gervonta Davis’ professional record should see a loss ahead of his potential comeback fight.
It is said that the 31-year-old is in negotiations for a fight for the WBA lightweight title with Floyd Schofield Jr, offering “Tank” the opportunity to regain his elderly belt.
Davis defended his world title after: controversial draw with Lamont Roach in March 2025, but has since become the sanctioning body’s “halt champion” at 135 pounds.
This is partly due to his passivity, but also to the American’s problems outside the ring, where he faced accusations of domestic violence.
However, it currently appears that Davis could return to action soon, with a potential fight with Schofield set for September or October.
These negotiations involve Schofield’s promoter, Golden Boy boss De La Hoya, who insists that “Tank” should suffer his first professional defeat in the match against Roach.
Their match ended in a draw after referee Steve Willis ruled against a knockdown in round nine when Davis clearly touched the canvas following a shot by Roach.
As a result, De La Hoya said Fighting Hub TV that Roach should have back-to-back victories over “Tank” and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, whom he boxed in December to a less controversial draw.
“Roach is a great fighter in his own right. He has some really good wins under his belt. I say he wins because I think he really won against ‘Tank’ Davis and I think he did a great job against ‘Pitbull.’
If Davis and Schofield’s respective teams are unable to reach an agreement by June 22, their mandate quarterback will be sent to a bidding hearing.
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