A childhood dream has come true for Richardson Hitchins.
The Manhattan-based fighter dethroned Liam Paro of his IBF junior welterweight title with a split decision victory at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 27-year-old Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) scored his first world title in his 19th professional bout after making his debut in 2017. For context, Floyd Mayweather Jr. won his first world title in his 18th pro fight. That said, Hitchins has a very bright future.
Although judge Nelson Vazquez seemingly witnessed a different fight, it was a clear and skillful performance from Hitchins, who was down on the scorecards in the early rounds but virtually shut out his Australian opponent over the second half of the fight. “Honestly, I was just hoping they wouldn’t rob me,” Hitchins said of Vazquez’s laughably bad 117-111 scorecard in favor of Paro. “I’m just happy to become world champion.”
Once Hitchins settled in, he kept Paro at bay with his long, heavy jab and straight right hands. Furthermore, Hitchins made Paro eat his words after the now-former titlist promised he would drown his opponent once they got into deep waters. Although there was no drowning by the other side, Paro certainly was nowhere close to delivering on that vow. But that didn’t mean he didn’t pose a stern challenge to Hitchins, who credited his adversary for putting up such a difficult fight in the early rounds. “He made me think every round, and I had to be sharp, and that’s what I did,” Hitchins reflected.
Mandatory Credit: Melina Pizano/ Matchroom
Paro began the fight on the front foot, using his fast feet to control the pace. The opening round was all Paro as he clipped Hitchins with a series of left hands throughout the frame. In the final 30 seconds, Paro feinted to the head and ripped Hitchins with some hard blows to the body. Paro was there to be hit in the second round, and Hitchins responded accordingly. He timed Paro with a series of right hands midway through the round and followed up with a pair of lefts. Both fighters were warned in the closing stages by the referee to stop landing behind the head. At the end of the round, Paro was spotted with a mouse on his forehead.
Hitchins used his long jab effectively in the first half of round three, preventing Paro from mounting his offense. However, Paro had success towards the end of the rounds, connecting with a straight left. Moments later, their feet tangled, momentarily knocking Hitchins off balance, and Paro used the opportunity to land another hard left. The fourth round was tactical and close. Paro broke through late in the round with a sustained barrage of lefts, including a couple of shots to the body. Hitchins was also warned late in the round after he appeared to accidentally elbow Paro in the face, earning him a warning from the referee.
Both fighters traded blood in round five. Hitchins kicked off the action by letting his hands go. A right hand eventually broke through Paro’s guard and drew blood from his nose. But Paro responded late with lefts that also drew blood from his opponent. Round six was another intriguingly tactical round, as Hitchins controlled the aggression while Paro controlled the distance. The varying strategies opened up counterpunching opportunities for both men. However, they failed to capitalize on the openings as they appeared to be very respectful of the other’s counters. Thus, Paro and Hitchins were swinging and missing badly towards the end of the round.
Mandatory Credit: Melina Pizano/ Matchroom
Time was called with 1:23 remaining in the seventh round after the tape on Paro’s right glove came undone. Following the brief intermission, both men traded jabs, all while trying to focus as a band instrument kept buzzing behind them. Hitchins connected with a big right hand with 37 seconds left in the round. Hitchins landed a right hand that knocked Paro off balance with 1:43 remaining in round eight. He continued to connect with his heavy jab effectively as Paro began to sport a mouse under his right eye and followed up with a one-two combination. Paro ran into another straight right hand with about 15 seconds left in the round before he responded with a straight left hand.
The ninth round began with a jab fest. Hitchins got the better of Paro before rocking his head back with a big right hand with nearly two minutes to go. Blood began to drip from the bridge of Paro’s nose, a product of Hitchins’ fundamentally sharp performance. With 30 seconds to go in the round, Hitchins countered a lunging Paro with a left hook before both fighters finished the round with another jab fest. Frustration set in for Paro, who continued to get popped with jabs coming in. The defending world champion grazed Hitchins with a shot behind the head, which hurt him, and time was called early in round 10.
As time began to run out, Hitchins started to hit Paro nearly at will. What started as a close, competitive, and tactical fight turned into a one-sided contest from the sixth round on.
According to Compubox, Hitchins landed 105 of 351 punches (30%), and Paro connected with just 84 of 483 blows (17.4%). Like many on the undercard, Paro saw his unbeaten record go by the wayside. The 28-year-old fell to 25-1 (15 KOs). Hitchins called out WBO 140-pound titleholder and former undisputed lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez for a unification showdown. “I want Teofimo in New York, Brooklyn, unification. I think that would be one of the biggest fights in 2025—a very lucrative fight. A very big fight,” said Hitchins. Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami Beach.
In the chief support contest, Henry Lebron (20-0, 10 KOs) scored a unanimous decision win over Christopher Diaz (29-5, 19 KOs) to remain undefeated.
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