Hitchins, the unbeaten IBF junior welterweight titleholder, has been left in an awkward position after being removed from the January 31 card at Madison Square Garden. He had been linked to a fight with Jamaine Ortiz on the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez–Shakur Stevenson event. Once the show was finalized, Hitchins was no longer part of it. Ortiz moved on. Hitchins did not.
The rest of the division is sealed off:
• Teofimo Lopez Jr. is already committed to Shakur Stevenson.
• Subriel Matias is tied up with Dalton Smith and then Alberto Puello.
• Gary Antuanne Russell has a mandatory of his own.
That leaves Hitchins alone, holding a belt with nowhere obvious to go.
The name that has surfaced is Frank Martin, coming off a strong stoppage win over Rances Barthelemy. It is a sensible fight. It is also, for now, an unserious one. Martin is not ranked in the IBF top fifteen, which means the bout cannot be sanctioned unless the rules bend or the situation changes quickly.
Beyond that, the options thin out fast. The IBF’s mandatory challenger, Lindolfo Delgado, is waiting. The decision that elevated him was widely disputed. That does not matter to the IBF. What matters is compliance.
Once formal notice is issued, Hitchins will either fight Delgado or risk losing the title that created this window in the first place. There is no third lane.
This moment says more about Hitchins’ standing than his last defense did. Champions with pull dictate terms. Champions without it wait for letters.
