Matias’ Message To Hitchins After Title Win! “See You Soon”

Subriel Mathias Richardson congratulated Hitchens on Saturday night on his win over light welterweight champion Liam Barrow, telling him he would see him soon. Hitchens (19-0, 7 KOs) defeated Barrow (25-1, 15 KOs), winning a 12-round split decision at Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

If the fight happens, it will be a tough style for Hitchens because Matthias won’t be afraid of pressure like Barrow was. He walked with Richardson like Gustavo Lemos did, but he hit harder shots.

Mathias (22-2, 21 KO) is banking on Hitchens being selected to defend his newly won IBF belt against him, which could happen if he fails to get a bite out of any of the big names his promoter Eddie Hearn said he wanted to try. To match it against the next. These are the four that Hearn mentioned and wanted for Hitchens:

1. Teofimo Lopez
2. Devin Haney
3. Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela
4. Jack Catterall

If Hearn can’t convince any of these four to agree to face Hitchens, Mathias will likely be the man he faces next. He is ranked No. 5 in the IBF, below Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. Mathias (21-2, 21 KOs) was knocked out by Barrow via a 12-round unanimous decision last summer on June 15.

“See you soon”

Richardson Hitchens will move up to #147 if the fight is ordered. #boxing pic.twitter.com/8XMqyoorqh

– Zain (@ZainBoxing) December 8, 2024

Hearn has not mentioned former IBF light welterweight champion Subril Mathias as a potential challenger for Hitchens, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to make that fight next. The four men mentioned by Hearn will not be keen on fighting him as his style is bad for all of them.

“When I got to the ring after that, some of Liam’s team came up to me and said: ‘Do you think we might have drawn the last game?’ Honestly, no. I got it 8-4. Eddie Hearn said: ‘7-5 if I You want to be really generous, but no.” EFL TVHe talks about Richardson Hitchens’ win over Liam Barrow last Saturday night.

“When he read 117-111, I was thinking: ‘Don’t tell me someone is going to give it to Liam Barrow.’” 117-111, I made it 9-3 to Liam Barrow. It’s unbelievable. I told Liam the problem for him was between five and ten, maybe eleven, and they were all clear runs for Richardson Hitchens.

“Those rounds, he’s got six guaranteed rounds there. You’ve got to give him maybe 12. That might have gone to Liam, but for me, it was 8-4 or 7-5. The right guy won. It was a hell of a performance.”

It’s a good thing Hitchens wasn’t robbed last Saturday night because that would have tainted the evening. The judge scored it 117-111 for Barrow, who had to focus on the little things he was doing and ignore all the clean right hands Hitchens was hitting him with since the fifth round.

Next in line?

“He’s fighting Teofimo Lopez for Brooklyn. It’s a unification fight. The build-up is going to be epic. It’s a great fight,” Hearn said when asked who Hitchens would fight next. “And that’s what he’s doing next because I think a fighter of Richardson’s quality should fight these guys. [Jose ‘Rayo’] Valenzuela. Obviously we have [Jack] Catterall. that it [Teofimo] “I’m talking about moving to 147. Unite before you go,” Hearn said.

Hearn could persuade one of these men to agree to fight Hitchens, but it would likely require His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh choosing to organize the fight in Riyadh. Hitchens is not popular enough to attract the names he and Hearn would want to fight. It would take these fighters being well paid to agree to fight Hitchens because of the possibility of them losing.