The road to a world title shot has not been easy for Oscar Duarte.
Winning a world title belt would all be worth it.
Duarte will challenge IBF world junior welterweight titleholder Richardson Hitchins on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 12-round bout will precede the main event between WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia.
Both fights will stream live on DAZN Pay-Per-View starting at 5 p.m.
Duarte is trained by Robert Garcia, a 1993 Channel Islands High graduate who was Oxnard’s first world champion in the ring.
Duarte (30-2-1, 23 knockouts) earned the opportunity to fight for the IBF world title in his previous fight on Aug. 2, 2025, when he defeated Kenneth Sims Jr. by majority decision in Chicago. The fight was an IBF world title elimination bout.
Not only was Garcia impressed with Duarte’s win and performance, but the Sims fight was a great segue to Saturday’s fight.
“The Sims fight was the perfect fight before the Hitchins (fight),” Garcia told The Star. “(Both have) similar styles.”
Five-foot-9 Hitchins and 5-10 Sims are orthodox fighters with similar statures. Duarte is listed at 5-9.
The 30-year-old Duarte has won his last four bouts since a loss to Ryan Garcia in December 2023.
Garcia believes Duarte has improved his skills through his training at Garcia’s gym in Moreno Valley and by sparring some of the top fighters who are also trained by Garcia, including fringe junior middleweight Leonardo Ruiz.
Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs), who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Hackensack, New Jersey, is making the second defense of the IBF title. In his previous outing on June 14, 2025, the 28-year-old Hitchins dominated George Kambosos before the fight ended in the eighth round, thanks to a left hook to the body that dropped Kambosos.
The fight against Hitchins will mark the fifth time Garcia will be in Duarte’s corner. Duarte is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, which is run by former multi-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
Barrios is trained by Camarillo resident Joe Goossen. The world title defense against Garcia marks Barrios’ first fight with Goossen as his trainer.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also written for Ring Magazine and Boxingscene. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Garcia-trained Duarte ready for his title shot in Las Vegas
Reporting by Francisco A. Salazar, Special to Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
