Richardson Hitchins and Gustavo Lemos delivered a hell of a fight that could’ve gone either way in the end.

The judges only saw it one way, to the detriment of the intimate but passionate crowd.

Brooklyn’s Hitchins was forced to survive a major gut check to prevail in their DAZN-aired IBF junior welterweight title eliminator. The nip and tuck affair saw Hitchins claim a twelve-round unanimous decision Saturday evening at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Judges Tim Cheatham (117-111), Max DeLuca (115-113) and Steve Weisfeld (115-113) all scored for Hitchins.

The decision was lustily booed by the crowd but didn’t discourage Hitchins’ celebration.

“I felt like I won the fight unanimously,” Hitchins told DAZN’s Chris Mannix. “It was a close fight. I felt like I gave away some rounds when I landed right hands and stood there and traded with him.”

Saturday’s bout came in stark contrast to Hitchins’ shutout win over former title challenger Jose Zepeda last September in Orlando, Florida. The undefeated 26-year-old New Yorker won every round, albeit in a dull affair that failed to engage the crowd or DAZN viewers.

There was nothing disinteresting about his latest ring appearance.

Lemos fought with something to prove from the opening bell in his first fight outside his native Argentina. The squat slugger hadn’t gone the distance in his past ten fights dated back to 2019. He was prepared for the long haul versus Hitchins, a 2016 Olympian for Haiti who is used to going rounds.

A dogged attack by Lemos saw Hitchins hurt in the first two rounds. He boasted the superior boxing skills but was unable to effectively play defenses early on versus the onrushing Argentinean.

Hitchins was instructed by his corner to let his hands go and heeded that advice in the fourth. Lemos slowed down after an explosive start and was caught switching between stances. Hitchins timed him with a compact right uppercut at close quarters and later landed several right hands upstairs. Lemos attempted to initiate a body attack but left himself open for Hitchins’ crisp jab.

Lemos further unraveled in round five. His punches were wide and badly missed the mark. Hitchins boxed with discipline and consistently scored with his jab.

A lecture in between rounds prompted a more spirited approach by Lemos in the sixth. Hitchins was able to avoid most of Lemos’ power shots but had to play defense enough to where he couldn’t properly respond.

Time was called for an accidental headbutt less than a minute into round seven. Lemos’ left eye slowly blinked before he cleared his head and was fit to resume.

Hitchins was hurt on multiple occasions and frequently forced to hold in the eighth.

Lemos went on the attack and connected to the body. Hitchins spent most of the first half of the round initiating clinches. He avoided a warning from referee Raul Caiz Jr., who did his best to let them fight. Hitchins did just that in the final minute. He landed in combination often enough to momentarily stall Lemos’ attack.

That didn’t last for long.

Hitchins’ corner urged him to go to the body more and slow down Lemos. The advice didn’t at all take. Lemos poured on his attack and left Hitchins to constantly hold as he was unable to find his legs or range.

Lemos tried to carry that momentum into the tenth but Hitchins dug deep and had a sufficient response. The wild approach by Lemos left him open for combination punching. Hitchins slipped an overhand right and slammed home a one-two down the middle.

Hitchins wasn’t all the way out of the woods, though.

He got caught by two lefts upstairs and a left to the body in the first minute of the eleventh. Lemos slipped on the center ring logo and inadvertently dragged Hitchins with him to the canvas. The sequence was waved off by the referee, who felt compelled to note that they were both tired. Hitchins dropped a combination late and used his jab and subtle lateral movement to make it to the bell.

Lemos missed with a left hook shortly after the two touched gloves to start the twelfth round. Hitchins attempted to stick and move but Lemos stalked him throughout the final three minutes. The survival tactics employed by the unbeaten Brooklyn native were called into question by the broadcast team.

However, it mattered little as he already had the win in the bank.

“My corner kept telling me the fight was close,” noted Hitchins. “But I felt like I was outboxing him and landing the cleaner shots. He was tough, undefeated, 29-0 and came here to win. I felt like I won easy. It was a good fight, though.”

The final Compubox statistics supported that claim.

Hitchins (18-0, 7 knockouts), No. 6 at 140 by The Ring, was credited with 172-of-456 landed punches (37.7 percent). Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) landed 161-of-581 total punches (27.7 percent) as he went twelve rounds for the first time in his career.

It was also just his second bout to go more than eight rounds, and came during an inactive stretch. His only fight in two years was a first-round knockout win last December in Buenos Aires.

The gap was due in part to awaiting a shot at the IBF lightweight title, for which he was previously the mandatory. He eventually outgrew the division, a development learned when he badly missed weight for an eventually canceled bout last August 18 at home.

Lemos will see his stock raise in defeat. However, he will once again have to wait his turn for a title shot.

However the decision was received, Hitchins is now the IBF mandatory challenger with the win.

Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), No. 3 at 140, holds the title and defends versus Australia’s Liam Paro on June 15 in Manati, Puerto Rico.

Also in Hitchins’ sight is the winner of the April 20 Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia WBC title fight in his Brooklyn hometown.

“I feel like I should be first in line versus the winner [of both fights],” insisted Hitchins.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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