The fight will serve as a voluntary defense for Hitchins, a choice that signals confidence rather than obligation. Duarte brings sustained pressure and experience from Robert Garcia’s camp, making him credible enough to test a champion without forcing a mandatory 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 through him. I don’t think he can hold me for 12 rounds.”
Duarte dismissed the idea that Hitchins is underestimating him. He said the champion understood exactly what kind of assignment he was accepting and could have gone in another direction with an easier defense. Duarte credits Hitchins for taking the fight, but views that choice as significant given the kind of pressure he intends to bring.
Duarte acknowledged Hitchins as a skilled, mobile operator, while insisting those qualities are hardest to maintain once the pace is forced and the exchanges stop being selective. His confidence rests on the belief that sustained pressure eventually erodes structure, particularly when it is applied from the opening rounds.
That view may resonate with those who 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 capable of sustaining pressure over rounds a meaningful variable rather than a stylistic formality.
Looking beyond February, Duarte already has another name in mind. He said he expects Ryan Garcia to defeat Mario Barrios, and believes that outcome would put him in position to pursue a rematch.
“I’m grabbing the championship, and I want to unify,” Duarte said. “I can jump to 147, no problem.”
That confidence is easy to express before the bell. The fight itself will show whether Duarte’s pressure can push Hitchins into a pace he cannot manage for twelve rounds.
