Teofimo’s Next Move: Realistic Fight With Hitchins Emerges After Ennis Declines
Eddie Hearn now has a clear path to make a unification fight between IBF 140-lb champion Richardson Hitchins and WBO champ Teofimo Lopez next. Jaron āBootsā Ennis has decided he doesnāt wish to face Teofimo in a title defense of his IBF welterweight belt. He says heād rather focus on unifying at 147.
Hitchins vs. Teofimo: A Realistic Matchup
Matchroom promoter Hearn should contact Bob Arum, Teofimoās boss at Top Rank, and try to negotiate a fight. Itās the best available contest for Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) because heās not going to get the Terence Crawford match heās been asking for.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) captured the IBF 140-lb title with a 12-round split decision win over Liam Paro last Saturday night at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Eddie Hearn-promoted Hitchins looked excellent, beating Paro by the scores 116-112, 116-112 for Paro, and 117-111 for Paro.
Teofimo would have to want the fight with Hitchins because he may choose not to take the match if he feels itāll be a difficult one or a fight he could lose.
āHe said he wants Teofimo Lopez. Thatās a pretty big fight in New York City.Ā Teofimo and Hitchins are both New Yorkers, both champions at 140 lbs,ā said Chris Mannix on YouTube. āI think Teofimo-Hitchins is a much more realistic fight [than Jaron Ennis vs. Teofimo].
āI think thatās a fight that Top Rank could financially put on. Teofimo is obviously the A-side in a fight like that. He would get the bulk of the money, and would get the A-side billing. Even though Hitchins is a title holder, heās not that expensive.
āYou can do a fight with Teofimo and Hitchins. Put it on ESPN. If they donāt want to put it on ESPN, Eddie Hearn could put it on DAZN. That fight makes a lot more sense. Thatās an interesting clash of styles, just like Paro and Hitchins. Teofimo is more of a come-forward guy. Hitchins is more of a classic boxer.
Itās obviously not the massive fight that Teofimo wants against Jaron Boots Ennis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, or Crawford, but it is as good as it gets for him.
āWho wins out? Teofimo has a lot more pop than Liam Paro. Thatās a very interesting fight at 140. Thatās a fight I want to see Teofimo win. Not something like Boots Ennis,ā said Mannix.
āHitchins, no one gives him credit for his power, but I do. I could hear it, and I could see it. He doesnāt commit to combinations,ā said Sergio Mora. āThe pot-shotting. You could hear it, and you could see the respect heās getting from his opponents. I could see it in the face of Paro after the second half of the fight. He was a defeated fighter.ā
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