Saturday’s highlighly anticipated title defense by IBF World Welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins against challenger Oscar Duarte had the potential to be the fight of the Barrios vs Garcia fight card.
Not anymore. Hitchins withdrew from the fight early Saturday afternoon.
Sources close to the Duarte team told NY Fights Hitchins fell ill after struggling to comply with the IBF’s mandatory rehydration limit. Hitchins successfully made the ten-pound limit but apparently felt in poor enough condition that he felt he could not face Duarte.
This is not the first time Hitchins of Brooklyn (20-0, 8 KOs) has faced this issue. He struggled in his fight against Gustavo Lemos in 2024, a fighter with a style similar to that of challenger Duarte of Chihuahua, Mexico (30-2-1, 23 KOs).
When pressed about it by boxing media earlier in the week, Hitchins blamed his shaky performance against Lemos on the IBF’s rehydration clause, telling a long story about his refusal to agree to the rule, then being forced to dehydrate himself overnight. The IBF requires fighters in a championship bout to weigh in the morning of the fight and weigh no more than 10 percent over the weight limit.
“I felt it way more. I felt that, but I was in such good shape I was able to deal with that type of pressure,” said Hitchins.
“I gained a lot of experience from that fight, especially with the way I rehydrated. It showed me that rehydrating the wrong way can almost cost you a fight and I think that fight was way closer than it should have been. I made it look way closer than it should have been because of my fatigue in the ring.”
Despite those comments, although Hitchins made the limit, he reportedly started vomiting and it was clear he was not in condition to take on Duarte.
Duarte Says Richardson Hitchins Scared To Face Him
After the news was official, Duarte posted a video expressing his disappointment.
“Friends, I am shocked by the news I have just received that Hitchens will not fight, that he allegedly got sick this morning. I saw him just fine at the second IBF weigh-in.
“I think what happened is that he saw me so determined coming for my world title, that I’m coming to knock him out, and he got scared. There are weird things going on and I just hope the fans – they deserve the truth about everything that is happening. Me for my part, I will continue to represent Mexico with great pride, and I’m going for the world championship.”
🗣 A message from 𝐎𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞…#HitchinsDuarte pic.twitter.com/nXQxxuOczK
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) February 21, 2026
The remaining super lightweight title fight between WBA champion Gary Russell Jr. and Andy Hiraoka was elevated to the co-main event.
What Happens Next for Hitchins and Duarte?
Hitchins technically made weight, so he can’t be punished for pulling out of the fight. But should the fight be rescheduled? Is the IBF within its rights to strip Hitchins of his title?
It may be a moot point. Hitchins has discussed moving up to the welterweight division to fight Devin Haney. Struggling to make weight in a healthy way under the IBF’s rules is a signal he needs to make that move.
If he does, Duarte and the next highest-ranked challenger by the IBF need to fight for the vacant title. Duarte is actually ranked third. The number one challenger is Lindolfo Delgado of Mexico, followed by Keyshawn Davis, and then Arthur Biyarslanov of Canada. These are all makeable fights.
The situation raises questions in an ongoing discussion about weight limits, rehydration rules, and whether fighters should return to same day weigh-ins. With the entry of Zuffa Boxing opening serious considerations of consolidating weight divisions from the current 17 (or 18 if you recognize bridgerweight) closer to the original eight weight divisions, all of these issues demand examination.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.