Brian Norman Sr. reacted to Richardson Hitchins’s sparring comments today in an interview, revealing that his memory of what had happened in that session with Norman Jr. wasn’t what he made it seem.

Hitchins said it was “easy work” sparring with Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs). According to Norman Sr., it was “mediocrity” from him. He says it’s interesting that he’s pushing to fight the winner of WBO welterweight champion Norman Jr’s fight against Devin Haney on November 22nd, when he’s got guys in his own weight class at 140, like WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell, calling him out.

“The sparring, he was not on my level…As far as boxing skills, it wasn’t a puzzle for me. It wasn’t nothing to find out,” said Hitchins to the 10-8 podcast this week about Norman Jr. not being on his level.

“A Bunch of Mediocrity”

“These bums come five years later. What mediocrity were you excited about? You never heard it from nobody because it was a bunch of mediocrity,” said Brian Norman Sr. to the 10-8 Podcast, reacting to Richardson Hitchins claiming he’d dominated Brian Norman Jr. in sparring.”

Interestingly, Norman Sr. reveals that the sparring between Brian Norman Jr. and Hitchins occurred five years ago, not recently. The way Hitchins was talking this week, he made it sound like it was recent. If it were five years ago, that was a lifetime ago. Norman Jr. was only 19, sparring with a 23-year-old. Why didn’t Hitchins mention how long ago the sparring session took place when he bragged about dominating Norman Jr?

“I talk about meaningful things. That wasn’t a meaningful spar at all, and if it was meaningful, you’d have heard about it before. Why is he talking about Devin Haney and Brian Norman when he has people in his division calling him out actively?” said Norman Sr.

Hitchins’ Convenient Silence

That interview by Hitchins made him look good, as he discussed how he had dominated Brian Norman Jr. in the past five years. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t true. Enough fans believed it actually happened for them to view Hitchins as a viable opponent to face the winner of the November 22nd fight between Norman Jr. vs. Haney.

“He is a bona fide p****. He’s ashamed. He should be ashamed of calling himself ‘Africa’ because you don’t represent. How can he leave Gary Antuanne Russell call you out every chance he gets, and you don’t say a word? You got people calling you out because they know you’re not any good. They’re calling you out because they want your belt,” said Norman Sr.

The Amateur Albatross

Three potential reasons why Hitchins isn’t calling out WBA light welterweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell:

Hitchins lost to him 4 times in the amateurs
Not a big enough name
Focused on payday fights

Losing four consecutive times to Gary Antuanne Russell in the amateurs is reason enough for Hitchins to steer clear of him permanently. When you lose that many times to a fighter, it signals that he’s just too good for you.

It would be admirable for Richardson to show some backbone and fight Russell, but it would mess up his pursuit of millions that he’s chasing against Brian Norman Jr., Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez.

The Shakur Blueprint

As long as Hitchins keeps fighting the lower-level fighters he’s been facing, he’ll stay unbeaten long enough to get a big payday. He’d be following the Shakur Stevenson blueprint. Face the Josh Padleys of the world, give a lot of trash-talking interviews, and post frequently on X.

Eventually, a big fight out of your pay grade will fall into your lap without you having to earn it with risky fights. It worked for Shakur.

Tom Galm has covered the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends, and fighter psychology.

Boxing News 24 » – An Analyst’s Perspective » Brian Norman Sr. Exposes Hitchins’ “Easy Work” Claim: Sparring Was Five Years Ago and “A Bunch of Mediocrity”

Last Updated on 11/06/2025