Richard Riakporhe by no means deliberate on defeat. However he suffered a painful loss when difficult Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO cruiserweight title on Saturday.
The setback will likely be all of the tougher for him to course of because the loss he by no means envisaged taking occurred in entrance of his residence followers at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium.
Billam-Smith introduced all his expertise to bear to ensure of a transparent unanimous resolution win, however that was the Londoner’s first world championship bout and he’ll study from it.
When Riakporhe does return he could have choices. He stays a giant, bodily cruiserweight and is a famous power-puncher.
Actually, Riakporhe is so massive he may definitely transfer up in weight and if he does depart the division, he has a ready-made rival in Hackney’s Lawrence Okolie.
The 2 have already got a feud, which features a previous altercation at a movie premiere.
Okolie used to carry the WBO cruiserweight title and misplaced it to Billam-Smith final 12 months. He then moved as much as the brand new ‘bridgerweight’ division, a weight class at 224lbs that’s solely recognised by the WBC and the WBA.
Even earlier than boxing Billam-Smith, Riakporhe had a way that he may outgrow the division.
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Chris Billam-Smith defended his WBO cruiserweight world title in opposition to Richard Riakporhe with a unanimous resolution win at Selhurst Park.
“There’s bridgerweight now,” he advised Sky Sports activities when speculating about his future.
“The WBA have bridgerweight and there’s the WBC. Okolie’s the champion as well, so that’s even more fights, and then we’ve got the heavyweight which is practically the same thing. [Oleksandr] Usyk is pretty much a bridgerweight, [Deontay] Wilder’s been a bridgerweight.”
Okolie knocked out the WBC’s champion at that weight, Lukasz Rozanski, beating him in only one spherical within the Pole’s hometown of Rzeszow to take the belt.
Riakporhe counseled that efficiency. “He did really well and congratulations to him. I was happy for him as well because I heard he’d been through a lot. Even when he was having the fight with Chris Billam-Smith, a lot of people don’t know,” he mentioned. “A lot of things were going on.
“That is what we wish,” he added. “I would not wish to struggle a half-pint Okolie.”
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Billam-Smith wish to struggle in America and targets a Gilberto Ramirez world title unification after Richard Riakporhe triumph at Selhurst Park.
Renewing that rivalry, although, was definitely a goal for him.
“I would like that,” Riakporhe mentioned. “I would really like that. I think that would be great for London. East versus south. The build up would be crazy and a lot of people want to see that fight.
“When Okolie went up, I used to be wanting on the social media feedback and all people was upset. Why? As a result of they wished to see me versus Okolie. We are able to rekindle that.”
