Overview

• At The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, Hitchins retained his IBF junior welterweight title by delivering an eighth-round TKO over former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr.
• According to CompuBox, Hitchins landed 205 of 398 punches (52 percent) compared with Kambosos’s 57 of 384 (15 percent), underscoring his tactical superiority throughout the fight.
• The defeat dropped Kambosos to 22-4 and marked his fourth loss in six outings, raising questions about his status among the sport’s elite.
• In the post-fight interview, Hitchins issued a profanity-laced challenge to Devin Haney for a 147-pound matchup, to which Haney responded on social media that he would be willing to meet at that catchweight.
• WBO champion Teofimo Lopez stepped into the ring ringside after the stoppage to press for a unification bout with Hitchins, highlighting the champion’s growing pull for marquee showdowns.