A month shy of five full years since their first fight, a competitive clash over ten rounds on Dillian Whyte’s undercard, Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe headline their own show at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium on June 15. Their paths have veered vastly differently since that night in south London, but now they do battle again – one a defending world champion with Stateside ambitions, the other expects to prove he’s been the better man all along.
Riakporhe revels in CBS’ wear-and-tear after recent fights
Chris Billam-Smith (c) vs. Richard Riakporhe 2
Billam-Smith’s second WBO world cruiserweight title defence
June 15, hosted at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park football stadium
- BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom on the announcement: “I’m hugely delighted, it’s the biggest domestic fight in the cruiserweight division, CBS is our biggest success story and Richard’s been with us from the start. Steve Parish [Crystal Palace chairman] and everyone wants to create something momentous, a festival atmosphere and rematch for a world title.”
- Time for revenge? Defending world champion Billam-Smith during press conference: “It’s another football stadium for me, had a special night last year and we tried to do it again [at Bournemouth] but it couldn’t quite come off. Just gives me more motivation going into the lion’s den, that buzz, what makes camp even more enjoyable. I’m grateful for the opportunity to avenge a loss, that’s what all the greats have done in history.”
- Riakporhe boasts psychological edge: “I know I’ve beaten him before but don’t like to rest on past victories, every single day I have new demands, step up and train hard, if you rest [on your laurels], it can cloud your judgment and give a false sense of security. He’s come on leaps and bounds, I respect he’s done it the traditional route but my time to take it from him.”
- Bubbling up nicely: Isaac Chamberlain, Ben Whittaker and Francesca Hennessy all feature on undercard as BOXXER and Sky return to Premier League football stadium 13 months after last success in Bournemouth
THE biggest question for Chris Billam-Smith to answer in six weeks’ time tonight is whether, through five years of evolution, he can box clever against an old foe – the only man to beat him as a pro. It was close over ten rounds, a disputed knockdown in there too, but it’s been more about what has happened since that matters most.
After all, it’s him who stands to lose more here.
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He’s the world champion, banked a gruelling title defence at Mateusz Masternak’s expense in December, and hasn’t been shy about his ambitions to unify the division on the road after satisfying this mandatory challenge. That it’s against a domestic opponent, one with which he has history, adds another layer of intrigue.
Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia, stripped of the IBF title after opting into boxing Ellis Zorro on a stacked Saudi show before Christmas, has previously called for a unification bout – while Chris fancies his chances against Gilberto Ramirez after the two-division world titleholder recently dethroned an inactive Arsen Goulamirian.
All of that pales into insignificance unless he’s able to tame the powerful puncher across from him in Riakporhe, who believes his boxing IQ and skills have improved under head trainer Angel Fernandez’s tutelage in recent years. The problem? We haven’t seen that stress-tested against the world’s best just yet and time is ticking.
Richard turned 34 in January, Chris will join him celebrating that birthday come early August and both are at their physical peak. Australia’s Opetaia (28) is widely regarded as the king-in-waiting while other champions in lower weight divisions – namely David Benavidez – has hinted he’ll make the move at some point in future.
Cruiserweight world champions
WBC – Noel Mikaelyan (c) vs. Ryan Rozicki on June 7
WBA – Gilberto ‘Zurdo Ramirez, beat Arsen Goulamirian on March 31
IBF – Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Breidis for vacant title on May 18
WBO – Chris Billam-Smith (c) vs. Richard Riakporhe on June 15
Riakporhe’s best career win, besides the Billam-Smith scalp when both were 9-0 rising prospects, is a R4 TKO win over a faded version of former WBO world titlist Krzystof Glowacki on the Chris Eubank Jr vs. Liam Smith undercard in January 2023.
The Polish southpaw, 37, twice tried to rebuild his form but wasn’t the same fighter after former undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk scored a wide decision win at his expense in September 2016. For further context on how long ago that matchup was, Riakporhe made his pro debut at York Hall a month before that world title fight.
So while he may have made technical improvements and been developing behind-the-scenes, his strength of schedule hasn’t warranted the same fanfare.
A second-round TKO win over former European challenger Dylan Bregeon in Wolverhampton last November felt like a stay-busy fight on short-notice, so now we’ll see whether his comments about Billam-Smith’s wear-and-tear prove prophetic.
“Wear-and-tear on the body. Some deteriorate faster depending on damage taken, Chris is always in gruelling fights and takes a lot of shots. You always hear Shane [McGuigan, his trainer] saying move your head, you’re taking too much, every single [punch] takes a toll.
It’s a fact, that’s science… we see tough guys with the chin and capability but you keep knocking on glass, it takes a little tap to shatter everything. He’s overachieved for sure, we’re back at the crossroads.”
- Riakporhe believes CBS’ durability will crack
It’s easy to forget that Riakporhe could’ve already had a world title shot last year against Opetaia, so while recent opposition has been unspectacular for The Midnight Train, Billam-Smith has contrastingly endured some hard-fought battles to reach a point many didn’t deem possible for him even up until very recently.
A two-fight series with Tommy McCarthy, outworking Isaac Chamberlain, taking Armend Xhoxhaj’s best and knocking him out, outfoxing a former gymmate in Lawrence Okolie over 12 rounds before defending that title with an illness against Masternak, these are all character-building experiences. It’s why he’s so bullish.
However, if he can’t get off to a good start on enemy territory, be first with the bulk of their exchanges in the pocket and nullify Riakporhe’s power, the travelling Bournemouth fans will be in for another long night. It’s difficult to see where the loser goes after this, akin to Okolie being beaten the manner he was last May.
Judging by the way these two have spoken for almost 18 months now, since rematch negotiations were first rumoured, they both expect their hand will be raised in victory. That’s what makes it even more compelling given the stakes at play here.
Picture source: Getty Images unless stated, quotes via Sky press conference
Mo and Sports 