The fight will function a voluntary defense for Hitchins, a alternative that signals confidence relatively than obligation. Duarte brings sustained pressure and experience from Robert Garcia’s camp, making him credible enough to check a champion without forcing a compulsory situation.
Why He Thinks Pressure Wins
“I don’t think he can hang with me the 12 rounds,” Duarte said to Xicana Boxing. “I’m going to be like a train, run over him and thru him. I don’t think he can hold me for 12 rounds.”
Duarte dismissed the concept Hitchins is underestimating him. He said the champion understood exactly what type of task he was accepting and will have gone in one other direction with a better defense. Duarte credits Hitchins for taking the fight, but views that alternative as significant given the type of pressure he intends to bring.
Duarte acknowledged Hitchins as a talented, mobile operator, while insisting those qualities are hardest to take care of once the pace is forced and the exchanges stop being selective. His confidence rests on the idea that sustained pressure eventually erodes structure, particularly when it’s applied from the opening rounds.
That view may resonate with those that saw Hitchins forced into uncomfortable stretches against Gustavo Lemos, when pressure briefly disrupted his usual control of distance.
Hitchins has built his title run on range control and selective exchanges, which makes any opponent able to sustaining pressure over rounds a meaningful variable relatively than a stylistic formality.
Looking beyond February, Duarte already has one other name in mind. He said he expects Ryan Garcia to defeat Mario Barrios, and believes that consequence would put him in position to pursue a rematch.
“I’m grabbing the championship, and I would like to unify,” Duarte said. “I can jump to 147, no problem.”
That confidence is straightforward to precise before the bell. The fight itself will show whether Duarte’s pressure can push Hitchins right into a pace he cannot manage for twelve rounds.
