Richardson Hitchins cruises to easy win over former title challenger Jose Zepeda

Richardson Hitchins made it look easy in a fight that was meant to be a step-up challenge.

The junior welterweight from Brooklyn cruised to a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Jose Zepeda, winning by the scores of 120-108 on two cards and 119-109 on the third at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fla.

Hitchins (17-0, 7 knockouts), a 2016 Olympian representing Haiti, never had to get out of first gear in his first twelve-rounder, keeping the aggressive southpaw Zepeda (37-4, 28 KOs) at bay, draining the fight of any drama with his superior skill and cautious defense.

The action picked up slightly in the seventh, though not as the result of clean punching. Zepeda emerged with a cut after colliding with Hitchins’ elbow, with blood spilling onto his forehead for much of the rest of the fight.

There was little in terms of action in the fight as Hitchins tried to set traps to counter Zepeda and Zepeda seemed reticent to walk into a punch, leaving the crowd to boo the inaction at times.

The win is the third straight for Hitchins, 25, since signing with Matchroom Boxing a year ago. Zepeda, 34, of La Puente, Calif. has now lost two of his last three, having been knocked out in the eleventh round of his WBC junior welterweight title fight against Regis Prograis last November.

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