In the world of boxing, Richardson Hitchins is positioned to be one of the sport’s biggest stars. Hailing from Brooklyn, Hitchins has meticulously built an undefeated record (19-0) while garnering attention with his polished technical skills and charismatic personality. 

The current IBF junior welterweight champion, Hitchins' journey through the professional ranks has been a masterclass in controlled aggression and strategic dominance, setting the stage for what promises to be an explosive rise to the top of the sport. Without question, Hitchins embodies the sweet science in its purest form.

On June 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Hitchins will take on a formidable opponent and former world champion, George Kambosos. 

Ahead of his first headlining fight, BET.com spoke with Hitchins about his prediction for the fight, his aspirations beyond the ring, and why boxing is just as exciting as it's ever been.

At 12 years of age, Hitchins began boxing at the Dr. Atlas Foundation and Cops and Kids Gym on Staten Island, New York, founded by the legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. During his formative years at the renowned gym, where he witnessed the masterful techniques of Floyd Mayweather, Hichins first began to cultivate his love of boxing. His passion for the art of pugilism transformed his life.

“When I first smelled the hand wraps, the gloves, and the pads. Then, when I saw Floyd Mayweather do the shoulder roll and catch and pick shots off. I was like, “Oh, that's nice,” Hitchins recalled. “That looks like something I want to do. I wasn't in boxing for the money or to get in a better position. I just loved the sport, and I’m still in love with the sport.”

Among his growing list of accolades, Hitichsins said that representing Haiti in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was one of his greatest honors. Being around so many world-class athletes on an international scale expanded his vision of how far boxing could take him. For Hitchins, the unforgettable experience put him on a fast-track trajectory of success in boxing and brought him pride in representing his parents’ native country.

“It felt good fighting Gary Antuanne Russell in the middle of the ring at the Olympics. We were going at it. Whenever you got hit, it felt like the ring was shaking. That sh*t was crazy,” Hitchins recalled. “It was a different type of feeling, eating on a boat, eating five-star man with Floyd talking about turning professional. 

“I was in Brazil and I loved it. It was one of the best memories of my life. I would have never thought I'd be there,” he said. “I knew I was striving towards it. But it felt like for so many years, I felt like I wasn’t close. And then boom, it happens just like that.”

In preparation for his upcoming fight, Hithcins prides himself not only on being a unique personality in the sport, but also on working tremendously hard to be an elite athlete. Although he talks trash with the best of them and is brash as can be, at his core, Hitchins is a practitioner dedicated to his craft and continually honing his skills.

“Training camp was tremendous, man. I've just been doing everything I've been doing to get to this point. The sparring, the running, and the conditioning. It doesn't seem like hard work because it's fun to me. Ain't no workout I shy away from. We're ready to put in the work. When you're young and hungry, you put that work in. It’s not about what a fighter is saying, it's about what a fighter is doing. What I’m doing shows how hungry I am.”

“I'm a boxing fiend. I love the sport, the art of boxing, and everything that comes with the game,” he went on. “The sh*t talking, the backing it up, the and the fight atmosphere. I just love seeing mastery. I just love seeing mastery.”

Not satisfied with just being known as a prizefighter, Hithcins has aspirations to dominate the sport in the ring and to be a successful businessman outside the ring. His vision is to launch his own promotion after he hangs up the gloves and be regarded as a successful entrepreneur.

“I want to be one of the faces of American boxing. I want the cars, the houses, the mansions, the investments, the stocks, and the Empire,” he stated. I want to build an empire from boxing. I don't want to take my money, make millions, and start building an empire for something else. I want to do it with boxing and show the sport of boxing that I'm a generational talent.”

Realizing that he’s not a one-man show, Hitchins expressed the importance of being surrounded by a great team that fosters success and believes that he has the perfect support system behind him.

“You also need a great team. I have a great manager, and he knows the right chess moves to make,” he continued. That's what every fighter needs on their side. You've seen it with Floyd and Al Haymon, Sugar Ray Leonard and his manager. You need to have the right people on your team.”

Although he describes Kambosos as a “dangerous fighter”, Hitchins exudes confidence and believes that he will have no issue dispatching the Australian. It was not lost on him the significance of this fight and all that he endured to reach the upper echelon of boxing.

“All the hard work and everything paid off. It took a lot of years of sacrificing and being around the sport of boxing to make it, Hitchins said.

While not looking past Kambosos, Hitchins said they will be looking to move up in weight and challenge other fighters and other divisions. He even threw some shade at one of his rivals that we may fight in the future. 

“I’m strong right now. I’ll probably move up after this fight but they hit hard up there, too, though,” Hitchins laughed. “So I gotta take my time. I'm gonna fight Devin Haney first. He don't hit hard.”

But until then, he’s perfectly comfortable with other fighters thinking they can take his title, as he sits on top of the hill as the current champion.

“I mean, they can come get it. If they're gonna come get it, it ain't gonnabe easy, “ he shared.

According to Hitchins, the boxing game is entering a golden era. With several completing champions, long-awaited super fights, and immense opportunities to command large purses, the future of the sport is brighter than ever. Instead of being a passive bystander, Hitchins plans to be an active participant and predicts that his victory against Kambosos will be his launching pad into the rarefied air of all-time greats.

“I feel like the sport is exciting with fighters like Tank Davis, David Benavidez, and, of course, Richardson Hitchins. I think the sport is in great hands. There are a lot more fighters who are flamboyant, who talk sh*t, and there are  bad blood fights where people fighters really don't like each other,” Hitchins explained. “I'm looking forward to the next few years now that I’m on the world stage, and I believe that I belong here.”

“I heard a Andre Ward says  that “Success happens when proper preparation meets opportunity. I think that I've been preparing my whole life for moments like this. So that's why I'm so confident and like that, because I've been training for this moment way before I was in this moment.  I believe my in skills and my talent. My skills belong at the top of the sport, so the boxing world gotta get used to me. I ain't going nowhere I'm here to stay.”