September 22, 2023; Orlando, Florida; Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda pose after weighing in for the Matchroom Boxing card going down on Saturday September 23, 2023 on the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. Necessary Credit score: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
Richardson Hitchins made it look straightforward in a combat that was meant to be a step-up problem.
The junior welterweight from Brooklyn cruised to a unanimous determination win over former title challenger Jose Zepeda, profitable by the scores of 120-108 on two playing cards and 119-109 on the third on the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fla.
Hitchins (17-0, 7 knockouts), a 2016 Olympian representing Haiti, by no means needed to get out of first gear in his first twelve-rounder, preserving the aggressive southpaw Zepeda (37-4, 28 KOs) at bay, draining the combat of any drama along with his superior talent and cautious protection.
The motion picked up barely within the seventh, although not as the results of clear punching. Zepeda emerged with a minimize after colliding with Hitchins’ elbow, with blood spilling onto his brow for a lot of the remainder of the combat.
There was little by way of motion within the combat as Hitchins tried to set traps to counter Zepeda and Zepeda appeared reticent to stroll right into a punch, leaving the group to boo the inaction at occasions.
The win is the third straight for Hitchins, 25, since signing with Matchroom Boxing a 12 months in the past. Zepeda, 34, of La Puente, Calif. has now misplaced two of his final three, having been knocked out within the eleventh spherical of his WBC junior welterweight title combat towards Regis Prograis final November.
