Richardson Hitchins has to be patient to see how the 140-pound picture plays out in the coming weeks and months as he plots his next move.

Hitchins earned the IBF junior welterweight crown in December courtesy of a clinical performance against Liam Paro.

As for the current division landscape, The Ring and WBO champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. faces Arnold Barboza in May on a DAZN card presented by The Ring in New York’s Times Square, while recently minted WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell and WBC title holder Alberto Puello appear headed toward a title unification rematch.

That leaves the 27-year-old New York native Hitchins seeking a homecoming fight with hopes of landing an all-Brooklyn showdown against his managerial stablemate Lopez in the coming months.

“This is the king of the 140-pound division right now,” Hearn said on Matchroom-owned channels with Hitchins standing next to him. “No one wants to mention the name of Richardson Hitchins. We were ready to fight Teofimo Lopez. But there is a big show in Sydney with George Kambosos Jr. and he has his eyes peeled. We think that's the fight in New York. This man is ready for all of the smoke. You know the name, but remember the name. This is the future right here.”

Hitchins is also keen on a clash against Kambosos, who returns as part of a DAZN broadcast card on March 22 in Australia.

"A fight against George Kambosos Jr. would be perfect,” said Hitchins. “He has the accolades and the name and he represents Australia great as a fighter. That'll do a lot for my legacy just to show that I belong with Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko and the bigger names of boxing. I feel that I’m kind of behind the eight ball a little bit. Getting a win over Kambosos would start cementing my legacy in the sport of boxing.

“Me and Teofimo is the best fight in the 140-pound division. I wanted the fight next, but we couldn't make it happen. Hopefully we can make the biggest fight at 140 happen once we both do what we need to do.”