Richardson Hitchins needs a breakout performance tonight in his defense of his IBF light welterweight title against the fiery former undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. in the main event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, live on DAZN.

There’s a lot of pressure on Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) to live up to all the hype about him, as he only has one notable win on his resume, Liam Paro, who has frequently looked pedestrian. At yesterday’s weigh-in, Hitchins looked skeletal, showing signs of the strain of making weight.

Today’s IBF secondary weigh-in could take something out of Richardson because he’s had to limit fluid intake to abide by the IBF’s 10-lb rehydration rule. It’s less of an issue for Kambosos, who moved up to 140 from 135 in his last fight, and has a smaller frame.

Hitchins vs. Kambosos: DAZN Fight Time

Tonight’s Hitchins vs. Kambosos event begins on DAZN for the main card at 8 pm ET/4 pm PT. The prelims start at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 PT on DAZN.

DAZN Main Card at 8 pm ET

• Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr.
• Andy Cruz vs. Hironori Mishiro
• Alexis Barriere vs. Roney Hines
• Zaquin Moses vs. Carl Rogers
• Pablo Valdez vs. Cesar Diaz

Preliminary card at 6:30 P.M. ET

• Nishant Dev vs. Josue Silva
• Adam Maca vs. Rafael Castillo
• Teremoana Teremoana vs. Aleem Whitfield

Andy Cruz: Olympic Gold Medalist Shines

The technically gifted 2020 Olympic gold medalist, Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) could steal the limelight away from Hitchins by schooling Hironori Mishiro (17-1-1, 6 KOS) in their 12-round chief support bout. Cruz-Mishiro is an IBF lightweight title eliminator, with the winner to be a mandatory challenger for recently elevated Raymond Muratalla.

Cruz, 29, has an intelligent boxing style, but is entertaining and doesn’t put on boring performances that defensive fighters are known for. He has a mix of offense and defense. In Cruz’s last two fights, he’s looked like a diamond, beating Omar Salcido and Antonio Moran.