Every chance he gets, George Kambosos Jr. takes a dig at Richardson Hitchins. From the way he carries himself in the ring, to the amount of money he has in his bank account, nothing is off limits to the former unified champion.

Deep down inside, nevertheless, Kambosos (21-3, 10 KOs) has a ton of reverence for The Ring’s No. 4 ranked junior welterweight and current IBF belt holder. Respect aside, Kambosos believes he’s done enough in the sport to be able to stand on his own two feet and not depend on anyone. Hitchins, on the other hand, not so much.

“I think Hitchins is a good fighter,” admitted Kambosos to The Stomping Ground. “But I think he needs me. I really do think he needs me.”

Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) is getting a ton of love and adulation following his championship win over Liam Paro recently. The proliferation of his future options now, are through the roof. A unification with Teofimo Lopez is on the table. Jack Catterall has also been floated around as an option. Kambosos though, is convinced that his name should be at the front of the line.

Before he can push and shove his way back into the title picture, the aging former champ has to iron out the kinks in his game when he makes his 140-pound debut on March 22nd.

Some call it a tuneup, others call it a warm-up. Either way, the 31-year-old is being positioned to pick up a feel-good victory. If that script is followed thoroughly, a showdown with Hitchins is what he’s angling for.

Ultimately, the losses have been piling up as of late. Sandwiched in between a pair of Devin Haney defeats and a stoppage loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko, was a controversial win against Maxi Hughes. To sum it up, Kambosos isn't in the best of forms. That all, however, will change if he gets his hands on Hitchins.

“He’s very basic but he’s good at the basics. Got a good jab, good left hand, good right hand but at 140, I can overwhelm him.”