The friendship between Shakur Stevenson and Richardson Hitchins appears to have turned sour. The WBO super lightweight champion is coming off a decisive victory over Teofimo Lopez in January. Although he was in talks with Ryan Garcia for a fight after the latter defeated Mario Barrios, where he earned the WBC 147-pound title, the fight has since stalled. So, Stevenson has started looking elsewhere. And Hitchens may have become ‘Sugar’s new target thanks to his question. 

“Ya think anybody in boxing could beat me?” Hitchens asked his followers on X. “Be honest with me, y’all.”

“I would f**k [you] up,” Stevenson promptly responded. “[You] better run to 147, cause [you] know I’m coming.”

Richardson ‘Africa’ Hitchins was supposed to fight Oscar Duarte in an IBF title defense on the co-main event of Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios in February. He made weight for the fight and even passed IBF’s same-day rehydration/second weigh-in. However, mere hours before the fight, Hitchins fell ill and had to pull out of the fight, forcing the bout to be cancelled. There’s no word on whether the fight will be rescheduled.

Despite that, Hitchins has been branded the latest talent to come out of the US to potentially enter the pound-for-pound top 10 after the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney. However, if Stevenson and Hitchens met in the ring, ‘Africa’ would run the risk of suffering a setback early in his career. Stevenson, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have a next opponent at hand, as he looks forward to his next fight. 

It’s worth noting that Hitchens and Stevenson have known each other since their childhood. They sparred together and trained together for years. And Hitchens has gone as far as to call Stevenson his “brother.” The Newark native has a similar relationship with Keyshawn Davis. But unlike Keyshawn Davis, Hitchens isn’t afraid to put their friendship on the line in a fight, where one fighter would lose their unbeaten record.

Richardson Hitchins was ready to fight Shakur Stevenson after Oscar Duarte

Although the Oscar Duarte fight was canceled, before the bout, Richardson Hitchins made it clear that even a long-standing bond wouldn’t rule out a future showdown with Shakur Stevenson. Despite a close relationship, Hitchins admitted business and legacy could change everything.

“Shakur is my brother, and we’ve been in the gym together since we were babies,” Hitchins said. “Me and Shakur boxed more than a hundred times in the gym… We love testing our skills against each other.

While he stressed it’s “not a fight that I want,” Hitchins didn’t shut the door. 

“At the end of the day, he’s a competitor, I’m a competitor… if the money is right, and the opportunity is right, of course I am open to it.”

However, it remains unclear what Hitchins’ next step will be after the Duarte fight fell apart. 

For now, it appears a close friendship in boxing might turn into a blockbuster fight. Given how the two fighters have performed until now, how do you think the potential bout will turn out?