IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins says he doesn’t like the idea of fighting a unification match against WBO champion Teofimo Lopez on Alcatraz island this summer in San Francisco, California.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), a New York native, feels that a fight between him and the Brooklyn-born Teo should take place where they’re from in the City. He likes the idea of them battling underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, Madison Square Garden, or the Barclays Center.
NY Over Alcatraz
Hitchins makes a good point. Bay Arena fans in Northern California wouldn’t be interested in seeing Teofimo vs. Hitchins because neither guy is from that arena. There are not a lot of fights in that area, to begin with, but this isn’t one that would connect with fans from the San Jose and Gilroy area to make them want to come to watch it on Alcatraz.
Turki might be thinking about using someone from the Bay Area to attract fans and then having Teo and Hitchins take advantage of that. Having that as the main event on Alcatraz would not interest people in that area. They’d have to be ultra-hardcore boxing fans to watch to see come see that fight. Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) isn’t popular enough to attract an audience, and Hitchins is still unknown to most fans.
“Alcatraz, that don’t make the fight fun for me. I wanted to fight in New York. That was the whole storyline, two guys from New York, fighting there,” said Richardson Hitchins to Fighthype about his potential unification fight against Teofimo Lopez in June or July.
“I’ve been holding the city down since the 2016 Olympics, representing the city. If it makes sense [to fight in Alcatraz, I haven’t got an offer yet, I’ll leave happy. The fight isn’t as fun for me than if it were in New York. Turki said he wanted to do it under the Brooklyn Bridge. I’m also hearing about Madison Square Garden and the Barclays.
“I’m still with the fight. We just got to wait and see what it’s about. Eddie Hearn will be talking to Turki in the next week or so, and they’re going to see what it brings to the table. So, as long as it makes sense, I’m down to make it happen,” said Hitchins.
Lopez’s Silence
Teofimo has been keeping quiet about his next fight, which tells you he’s not excited about this matchup. He’ll obviously go with the Hitchins fight if it pays, but he’s not been mentioning wanting to face him. Teofimo has been talking about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Terence Crawford. Fighting them would pay better than a match against Hitchins.
“It’ll be a great build-up. Teo likes to troll and talk. His dad likes to troll and talk. You know me. I’m always ready to talk my s*** and oblige to that type of antics. Teo has been making in the neighborhood of one million, and he wants to start seeing that next level of money. So, he’s trying to make the biggest fights happen,” said Hitchins.
Last Updated on 02/17/2025
