Richardson Hitchins vs Ricardo Salas

This one looks like a schooling waiting to happen, unless Hitchins gets bored with his own work and lets Ricardo Salas drag him into a tear-up. Hitchins against Salas has got that classic look: the polished technician moving up in weight, facing a hungry puncher who’s got enough dig to ruin the script if you give him half a sniff.

Hitchins is the cleaner boxer by a country mile. He’s long, organised, sharp with the jab, and he knows how to nick real estate in the ring without looking like he’s doing much. That’s craft, even if it won’t have the beer boys jumping out of their seats. Salas is more direct. He can punch, he’s confident, and he’ll fancy that extra weight gives him a chance to put something heavy on Hitchins’ chin. But there’s a difference between being dangerous and being educated.

Hitchins’ big advantage is control of distance. He’ll jab, step off, turn Salas, and make him reset over and over again. Salas’ weakness is that he can follow the fight rather than cut it off, and against a slick lad like Hitchins, that’s hard graft with not much pay. For Salas, the route in is pressure behind a high guard, touch the body early, and make Hitchins work every second. If he stands outside posing, he’ll be made to look all mouth and no trousers.

Prediction: Richardson Hitchins by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. Wide, tidy, professional, not thrilling, just business.