Richardson Hitchins roasted WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney for his practice of rehydrating tremendous amounts of weight to come into his fights between 165 and 175.
(Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom or Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs) says Haney hasn’t fought any “killers” during his career and wouldn’t face IBF 140-lb champion Subriel Matias due to the rehydration limit of 10 lbs.
Questions About True Weight Class
If Haney is rehydrating 25 to 35 lbs for his fights at 140, he wouldn’t be able to fight IBF champion Matias due to the 10-lb rehydration with the sanctioning body.
Weight limits are there to ensure fairness, but if you’ve got a fighter who is gaming the system by rehydrating 25+ lbs, like Haney, that gives him an unfair advantage over his opponent.
It’s unclear why Haney chooses to drain down to fight at 140 when he should be fighting in the junior middleweight division. He’s fortunate the WBC tdoesn’t have a strict 10 lb rehydration limit because then he wouldn’t be able to rehydrate 25+ lbs
He should be fighting in a higher-weight class, such as junior middleweight [154]. Fighters in that division rehydrate 10 lbs to come in at 165. If Haney fought in that weight class, he’d be facing fighters like Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, and Terence Crawford.
Accusations of Weight Bullying
“He’s coming in the ring at 175. Devin Haney is coming into fights at 165. I don’t think he’d go in the ring with [Subriel] Matias with that rehydration effect [with the IBF],” said Richardson Hitchins to Fighthype, criticizing Devin Haney for being a weight bully.
“The guy is rehydrating to 165, and I’m not even going to rehydrate, and I’m complaining. If Haney was about that, he’d fight Tank with a rehydration clause to make the fight happen because that’s his biggest fight. That’s a legacy fight, and Tank doesn’t want to go up to 140 and let Devin go up to 165.
“He Never Beat No Killer”
“The guy [Haney] never beat no killer. The guy is just a fraud,” said Richardson about Haney. “155 or 156,” said Hitchins when asked what weight he usually rehydrates to for his fight.”
Haney’s best career win is a controversial 12 round decision against Vasily Lomachenko. Many fans saw that as a gift decision given to Haney, the younger fighter, against the older, and much smaller Lomachenko. Haney looked huge inside the ring against Lomachenko, and may have had a 20+ lb weight advantage.
Hitchins’ Focus and Ambitions
“I would prefer [to go WBC route to fight Haney]. If I go out there and have a great performance on Saturday night, why not the IBF? I can get a title shot there. It’s a big fight between me and Subriel Matias,” said Hitchins.
“I just got to focus on my fight and go out and get the victory,” Hitchins said about his fight on Saturday night against Gustavo Lemos.
Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs) faces Gustavo Lemos (29-0, 19 KOs) in the 12-round main event this Saturday, April 6th, live on DAZN at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas.
