Boxing Talk Family — we did it again. We called another one!

Richardson Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga have signed multi-fight deals with Zuffa Boxing.

This is a strong financial move for both fighters — but is it the right move for Hitchins?

Let’s break it down.

Hitchins is the current IBF champion at 140 lbs… and Zuffa does not even have a 140-pound division.

That’s a problem.

We’ve already seen how Zuffa handled sanctioning bodies — just look at what happened with Jai Opetaia being stripped at cruiserweight after issues involving the IBF and Dana White disrespecting them... Oh, we called that too by the way.

Now, Hitchins has mentioned moving up to 147 lbs — and that’s a real possibility. But let’s be honest about boxing:
fighters, promoters, and now even promotional leagues, like Zuffa, change direction all the time.

Nothing is ever set in stone.

If Hitchins does move to welterweight, the question becomes: who does he fight?

Names like Brandun Lee or another potential Zuffa signee, Tito Mercado, might come up… but let’s be real — those aren’t fights that move the needle.

So here’s what I believe is more likely:

Zuffa makes an exception.
Hitchins stays at 140 for now.
And he proceeds with his mandatory defense against Lindolfo Delgado.

That’s the logical play — but we’ll see.

Now, as for Edgar Berlanga…

This might actually be the right move for him.

Let’s be honest — what are his options?

He’s making music, going viral for everything outside the ring (like dancing in the water with Hitchins, go check out the vid), and coming off a knockout loss to Hamzah Sheeraz while pointing fingers at hand wraps.

At this stage, Berlanga is in a similar structural position as Hitchins:

And realistically — who has him beating the top guys at 168 or 175?

Exactly.

So from a business standpoint:

That’s what this move represents for Berlanga.

Now let’s connect the dots.

I previously said that Teófimo López could end up signing with Zuffa as well.

Why?

Because he shares something in common with recent Zuffa signings like:

And that “something” isn’t a what — it’s a who:

Keith Connolly.

Same manager. Same pipeline. Same pattern.

We did it again, BTF.

I broke this news over two months ago and followed it up with a video over a month ago.

Appreciate the continued support.

I do what I do by the grace of God — and because of you.

Doc is out. 🫡

I did a breakdown explaining why this would happen on the Doctor Boxing Talk channel —
Watch here: https://youtu.be/2wq7Wk7fLqM

Thanks for being part of the tenth issue.

Real boxing talk.
Real fight IQ.
The Doctor’s In Your Corner.

— Doc 🥊

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