Geoffrey Knott / Matchroom BoxingBefore their title fight this Saturday night, Richardson Hitchins and George Kambosos Jnr engaged in the roast battle at Thursday’s press conference.
The media event to promote Hitchins’ first defense of the IBF junior welterweight title broke down into a shoving match and an insult competition, with Kambosos taking offense to Hitchins’ antic of waving $50,000 in cash in his face while challenging him to a bet.
Kambosos, a former unified lightweight champion, pressed his head against the New Yorker before pushing him away, which prompted security to get on stage and separate the two. The physicality of the incident looked unlikely to escalate beyond that, though Kambosos’ father, George Snr, did get close enough to take a swing at Hitchins trainer Lenny Wilson.
“Bet the fucking money, you pussy,” said Hitchins, 19-0 (7 KOs), as Kambosos claims he had already bet $350,000 on himself.
“You borrowed the $50K just like you borrowed all that jewelry,” Kambosos Snr shot back.
After order was restored momentarily, Bill Haney – the father of Devin Haney – began sniping at Hitchins’ team from the stands, telling Wilson that Kambosos’ father had just “slapped him upside his head.” Wilson took exception to the provocation, jumping up and grabbing his chair in an attempt to use it as a weapon, drawing security back to the stage.
“Did I embarrass you?” said Kambosos Snr.
“I’m in your city,” added Kambosos Snr. “I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care. Bring everyone. I got boys too.”
The two fighters left the stage without a face-to-face staredown, which was understandable given the events that preceded.
Although Hitchins, a native of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, has had a much easier commute to Saturday’s fight venue of Madison Square Garden, Kambosos – a native of Sydney, Australia – reminded the public that he feels very much at home there.
His challenge for Hitchins’ belt will be his third time fighting at The Garden, a place where Kambosos has won on two previous occasions, including his biggest victory – a 2021 upset of Teofimo Lopez Jnr to lift the unified lightweight championship.
Kambosos added that, not only has he never lost at MSG, but he also is unbeaten in the United States, having won all five of his contests there.
“This is the trifecta,” said Kambosos, 22-3 (10 KOs), before the question-and-answer format of the event broke down. “I’m coming here as the underdog. I’m coming to win this fight. You’ve seen it before, you’ve seen it in his eyes, whatever it takes, by any means. There is no Plan B.”
Hitchins, 19-0 (7 KOs), was at The Garden the night Kambosos pulled off the upset over Lopez, and said he always envisioned a day like this.
“This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. I remember coming to The Garden and watching Teofimo and Kambosos compete. I said, ‘I can beat both of them guys. As soon as I get my opportunity, I’ll be a world champion. I’ll bring the championship back to the city,’ because New York had a lot of big fights through the years, but New York hasn’t had their own since 8-10 years ago,” said Hitchins.
Kambosos, who trained for this fight in Montreal, Canada, to adjust for the time zone, rejected the idea that stylistic roles had already been established, saying he has the skills and grit to win the fight, regardless of how he approaches the contest.
“He’s the one making statements, he’s the one saying he’s gonna knock me out,” said Kambosos, whose only two losses have come in a decision to Devin Haney and a stoppage at the hands of Vasiliy Lomachenko, in his final bout. “He says he’s gonna do this and that. We have our plans, we’ve worked extremely hard in training camp, and who knows? I may take a leaf out of his book and run the whole fight. We’ll have to wait and see. You know I can box, you know I can fight, you know I can dig deep down and do whatever it takes. You know I can get knocked down, get back up and win the championship fight.
“I’ve seen it all at the highest level. I’ve been at this pinnacle for years and years. Like I’ve been saying, resumes do matter in boxing. When you fight the best, beat the best, lose to the best, this warrior is still here back at his home ground.”
Hitchins, who won the title in December with a split decision over Liam Paro, vowed to bring the fight to Kambosos.
“He keeps saying I’m running,” said Hitchins. “I don’t ever run. Saturday night I’ll be in front of him all night long.”
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
