“Shut up [expletive] up, [expletive],” said Duarte.
Duarte had gone between languages earlier in the press conference. He chose English that time so the message came across straight away. Hitchins reacted quickly.
“That [stuff] it’s not funny,” Hitchins said. “I promise I’m going to kill you.”
The tone changed after that exchange. Hitchins raised his voice. His answers came quickly. The usual calm expression was replaced by anger.
“What [expletive]? WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Hitchins said. “I’ll knock on your door [expletive] outside.”
Duarte clearly dismissed Hitchins’ standing as a champion. He called her “basic” and showed no hesitation in repeating this in front of her. Duarte believes his pressure will expose weaknesses when the war begins.
“I definitely think they underestimate me, but that’s on them,” said Duarte. “I know what I bring to the ring, I’m hungry and I want that world title.”
Hitchins dismissed criticism of his punching ability, an issue that continues to haunt him despite winning the title. He made it clear that he expects Duarte to fall like previous opponents.
“Being down 20-0 with eight innings, people don’t think I’m strong,” Hitchins said. “I’ve never been down in my entire career. He’s not going to be the guy to do that.”
Duarte did not back down from his path. You intend to move forward from opening the bell. His style relies on closing the distance and forcing opponents to fight in tight spots.
“I’m definitely going to apply pressure and come at this guy like a train,” Duarte said.
What distinguished this discussion from the usual pre-war discourse was Duarte’s decision to switch languages at the very moment of the conflict. He wanted Hitchins to hear the insult directly.
Body language tells a story that is often missed. You can hear the insult, but seeing the reaction in real time is a different animal.
Hitchins is usually in control of the flow of thought, so Duarte catching him off guard with a straight, unstructured shot in English is a huge pivot. That tactic of trying to force a bet is a classic “alpha” move to make the opponent look skeptical or cash-strapped, but Duarte didn’t just say no; he threw power right there.
When a fighter has that 100% sure look, it usually means their camp went well. Duarte doesn’t just show up to get paid.
The fact that it stopped Hitchins in his tracks shows that Duarte successfully disrupted his rhythm before they even touched gloves. In boxing, if you can make a “cool” fighter lose his temper even for a second, you’ve won the first round of the mind game.
