Hitchins Says Ortiz Combat Was Signed Earlier than Late Change

That lines up with what happened next. Ortiz didn’t disappear. He just slid into a different lane — one that now ends with Keyshawn Davis.

Ortiz was being talked about as Hitchins’ opponent for weeks. Then suddenly he’s off that card and booked against Davis instead. Hitchins is gone from the date entirely. No slow fade. Just gone.

Hitchins says it wasn’t his call. He says he signed. He says it changed late. He also says his next fight will come quickly and will involve a defense of his 140-pound title, with an announcement expected soon.

What’s clear is this: Ortiz didn’t duck anything. He took the fight that was put in front of him. Now he’s facing Davis, not Hitchins, and that’s a tougher stylistic problem than most fighters want coming off inactivity.

As for Hitchins, he remains in position to move forward with a separate title defense while Ortiz goes a different direction.

End result is clean. Ortiz goes one way. Hitchins goes another. And Jamaine Ortiz ends up being the guy who keeps getting plugged into the hard fights while plans around him keep shifting.

That’s boxing. Same week. Same date. Same opponent pool. And suddenly the path splits. For now, the only confirmed outcome is that Ortiz will face Davis on January 31, while Hitchins’ next opponent and date have yet to be formally announced.