Matias’ message to Hitchins after winning the title! “Until we meet again”

Subriel Matias congratulated Richardson Hitchins on Saturday night on his victory over IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro, letting him know he would see him soon. Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) dethroned Paro (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 were to happen, it would be a difficult style for Hitchins because Matias would not be afraid to apply pressure like Paro was. He would walk Richardson like Gustavo Lemos did, but he would land harder shots.

Matias (22-2, 21 KOs) is counting on Hitchins to choose to defend his newly won IBF belt against him, which could happen if he fails to bite one of the big names his promoter Eddie Hearn has said he wants to try for compare it with the next one. These are the four that Hearn rattled off that he wants for Hitchins:

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

If Hearn can’t get any of those four to agree to face Hitchins, Matias will likely be the guy to line him up against next. He is ranked fifth in the IBF rankings, behind Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. Matias (21-2, 21 KOs) was beaten by Paro with a 12-round unanimous decision last summer on June 15.

“Until we meet again”

Richardson Hitchins would move up to 147 if this fight was ever ordered. #Boxing pic.twitter.com/8XMqyoorqh

—Zain (@ZainBoxing) December 8, 2024

Hearn didn’t mention former IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias as a possible next opponent for Hitchins, but that doesn’t mean he won’t attempt to fight this bout next. The four guys Hearn mentioned won’t be thrilled to fight him because his style is detrimental to each of them.

“When I got into the ring, some of Liam’s team came up to me and said, ‘Do you think we could have scored a draw from last time?’ Honestly, no, I got 8-4 if you want to be really generous, but no,” Eddie Hearn told iFL TV, speaking about Richardson Hitchins’ win over Liam Paro on Saturday night.

“When he read 117-111, I thought, ‘Don’t tell me someone is giving this to Liam Paro.’ 117-111, you’re scoring 9-3 for Liam Paro. I told Liam the problem for him was between five and ten, probably eleven, it was all free rounds from Richardson Hitchins.

“Those rounds, he basically cashed in a guaranteed six rounds. You have to give it maybe 12. Maybe it went to Liam, but for me it was 8-4 or 7-5. The right man won. It was an incredible performance.

It’s a good thing Hitchins didn’t get robbed on Saturday night because that would have ruined the evening. The judge scored it 117-111 for Paro, who must have been concentrating on the little things he was doing and ignoring all the clean right hands Hitchins had hit him with from the fifth round onwards.

Next in line?

“He fights Teofimo Lopez for Brooklyn. It is a struggle for unification. The buildup would be epic. This is a great fight,” Hearn said when asked who Hitchins will fight next. This is what he does next, because I think a fighter of Richardson’s quality should fight those guys. [Jose ‘Rayo’] Valenzuela. Obviously, we have [Jack] Catterall. He is [Teofimo] we’re talking about moving to 147. Unify before you go,” Hearn said.

Hearn can get one of those guys to agree to fight Hitchins, but it will likely require His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to stage the fight in Riyadh. Hitchins doesn’t have the popularity to attract the names he and Hearn would like him to fight. It would require these fighters to be paid well to agree to fight Hitchins due to the likelihood that they will lose.