The hot contenders will go head-to-head this Saturday night to see who will take the next step up in the junior welterweight division. Live on DAZN, Richardson Hitchens takes on Gustavo Lemos, with the winner moving on to even bigger goals. Hitchens signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom for a chance at 140.
Matchroom and Golden Boy Promotions both have a lot of great opponents. Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Sabriel Matias, Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis, and Arnold Barboza all fit the bill as quality opponents for Hitchens.
But don't put the cart before the horse and completely discount Gustavo Lemos as the betting lines indicate. Lemos is a high-pressure guy who fights with high guards and makeshift shoulder rolls, like he did against Lee Selby early on. Lemos has a big right hand and up close he loves to throw off two punch combos. He doesn't throw a ton of punches like a lot of forward boxers. Lemos is a little more economical, but makes sense when you let it go. Gustavo has 10 consecutive KOs and is looking to get his 11th. Notably, these interruptions were against somewhat subpar opponents beyond Lee Selby. It's also worth noting that this was the first time Selby had been stopped.
Richardson Hitchens defeated Jose Zepeda. His other decent wins are over John Bauza, Malik Hawkins, Yomar Alamo, and even a split win over Argenis Mendez, although he is well past his prime. Hitchens will look to display his boxing skills on the outside, at least in the opening round. His jab, hand speed, and defense are obvious and should give Lemos trouble. Lemos will have to force the issue to resolve at some point, and it's probably best to do so sooner rather than later. Gustavo's best bet is to keep his guard up and land meaningful short punches.
The boxing podcaster thinks the odds should be a little closer, with Lemos running from +550 to +630. That said, as long as Hitchens doesn't get cold early and can create enough distance to fight at a comfortable distance, he should get a 'W'. If Lemos can do some real damage in the first part of this fight, he can force Hitchens to be more defensive and open up to get on the scorecards later in the fight. Hitchens said this fight would be a test of the IBF 10-pound hydration rule, but he was unsure when asked about facing IBF champion Sabriel Mathias.
My official prediction is unanimously Richardson Hitchens.
Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rope-a-dope-radio-podcast/id514483886 or http://tobtr.com/12327850
Side note: Kalkai vs. Murtazaliev, Diego Pacheco, Galal Yafai, Skye Nicholson, and Real Deal candidate Ernesto Mercado will also be in action this weekend.
By Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperradio Follow us on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
