Richardson Hitchins Vs. Oscar Duarte Breakdown

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 2:42 AM ET

The IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Richardson Hitchins boxes Oscar Duarte on February 21, as we preview the upcoming fight.

This serves as the co-main event to the Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia card. Hitchins is currently on a dominant run, though his recent win over Gustavo Lemos was considered controversial by many who felt the Argentinian’s pressure deserved the nod. That was followed with a win over Liam Paro to secure the IBF belt and a stoppage victory over George Kambosos Jr. in his first defense. Since his 2023 loss to Ryan Garcia, Duarte has reinvented himself. He enters his first world title fight on a four-fight win streak, having beaten Joseph Diaz, Botirzhon Akhmedov, Miguel Madueno and Kenneth Sims Jr, respectively.

Pre-Fight

“I can’t wait to go out there Saturday, compete against a fighter like Oscar Duarte — very strong, aggressive — and I get to display boxing, my sweet science. It’s going to be a great night of boxing. I’m expecting for him to bring it…and just him coming out there, trying to fight. He’s going to hustle. But I’m ready for that…I don’t think he’s a style that I haven’t seen. I think he’s strong, relies on like brute force and aggressiveness and, yeah, I think I got his style pretty much figured out. Once I get comfortable I think I’ll start taking control,” Hitchins said

“I don’t think he can hang with me the 12 rounds. I’m going to be like a train, run over him and through him. I don’t think he can hold me for 12 rounds. I’m grabbing the championship, and I want to unify. I can jump to 147, no problem,” Duarte stated

The Approach

Tactically, Hitchins relies on his jab—which he landed at over 50% accuracy against Kambosos—to dictate the geography of the ring. His 5-inch reach advantage will be his primary weapon to keep Duarte at bay. The champion’s success depends on his ability to pivot and reset. In his win over Lemos, Hitchins struggled when he allowed himself to be pinned against the ropes, forced into high-volume clinching to survive. Against Duarte, Hitchins must utilize lateral movement to avoid the straight-line charges Duarte often employs.

Duarte’s win over Sims Jr. show that he focuses on cutting off the ring and landing his right hands. Duarte’s path to victory lies in his body attack. In the Sims fight, he used hooks to the midsection to slow the faster man down before landing the overhand rights. Unlike Lemos, who threw wild flurries, Duarte is more calculated; he will look to time Hitchins’ jab and counter with a chopping right hand.