As first reported by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, the teams for Hitchins and Davis are in advanced talks for a welterweight bout later this year.

Considering Davis’ skills and accomplishments, having won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics and the WBO lightweight title, Hitchins knows that beating him will be far from easy.

“I think it’s a great fight,” Hitchins told FightHype.com on its YouTube channel. “A 50-50 fight. Two young, athletic fighters, Olympians, undefeated and former world champions. He’s a great fighter and I’m a great fighter. I think it’s a megafight. The winner of this fight should be on the pound-for-pound list.”

Hitchins, 29, made just one successful defense of his IBF junior welterweight title against George Kambosos in June 2025, before deciding to drop his strap and move up to welterweight. He proved that the added seven pounds were beneficial to him by beating Ricardo Salas by wide unanimous decision in his 147-pound debut on July 26.

While Hitchins (21-0, 8 KOs) has shown that he’s a bona-fide contender in his new weight class, Davis has yet to compete at 147. The 27-year-old contender from Norfolk, Virginia, beat Jamaine Ortiz and Nahir Albright at 140 pounds in his two fights this year.

Although the IBF ordered him to fight for its vacant title, he decided to move up.

Shortly after that decision, the WBO placed Davis (15-0, 10 KOs) as its No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger for Devin Haney, its welterweight beltholder. That fight was eventually ordered on June 30.

But after Top Rank, Davis’ promoter, submitted a winning bid of $8.55 million, he informed the sanctioning body that he was no longer interested. Had Davis proceeded, he was entitled to $2,137,500, a career-high payday.

For now, handlers for Hitchins and Davis are continuing to work things out behind the scenes. Although nothing is set in stone just yet, Hitchins likes the way things have been progressing.

“It gotta make sense,” he said. “As far as it’s looking, it’s making sense. Let’s see if we can get to the dotted line.”