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Duarte Wants 'Scared' Hitchins To Vacate IBF Junior Welterweight Title
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Duarte Wants 'Scared' Hitchins To Vacate IBF Junior Welterweight Title
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5 hrs ago
5 hrs ago
1 min read
Oscar Duarte isn’t interested in rescheduling his fight with Richardson Hitchins.
After wasting an entire training camp, the Mexican junior welterweight contender would rather face another opponent for the IBF 140-pound crown he believes Hitchins should give up. Hitchins stunningly withdrew from their 12-round championship clash Saturday afternoon, mere hours before he was supposed to face Duarte on “The Ring: High Stakes” undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“He should definitely vacate the title because what if we do a rematch and he gets scared again?,” Duarte told DAZN’s Chris Mannix during an interview streamed Saturday night. “I think he should abandon that title and really give the opportunity to people that wanna be there and fight.”
Brooklyn’s Hitchins has long expressed displeasure about the IBF’s second-day weigh-ins, which prohibit champions and challengers from adding more than 10 pounds above their division’s limit by the time they step on a scale the morning of their fight. The WBA, WBC and WBO don’t conduct second-day weigh-ins.
Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) and Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) both made weight twice, which was why Hitchins’ abrupt withdrawal shocked Duarte.
“They let me know he was sick, but they didn’t really specify [what was wrong],” Duarte said. “Really, what I think is that he got scared of the moment. He was scared and he didn’t have the balls to be here [Saturday night].”
Hitchins, 28, reportedly vomited Saturday following their second weigh-in. Oscar De La Hoya, Duarte’s promoter, expressed doubt about the reason Hitchins pulled out of their fight.
Duarte, 30, strongly seconded De La Hoya’s sentiment, as Hitchins appeared fine physically to him when they weighed in again Saturday morning.
“I was surprised because [Saturday] morning I [saw] Richardson Hitchins,” Duarte said. “I see [he was] good. But [Friday at] the weigh-in I saw fear in his eyes … even though he looked good.”
If Hitchins moves up to welterweight for his next bout, the IBF could order Duarte, its third-ranked contender, to fight the highest-rated available contender for its vacant junior welterweight title. Mexico’s Lindolfo Delgado (24-0, 16 KOs) is the IBF’s No. 1 contender.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.
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