Crystal Palace’s association football stadium in south west London is the scene for this weekend’s big ‘world’ title fight on Saturday night (15 June).
It pits Britain’s WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith against top 14st, 4lb/200lbs contender Richard Riakporhe, who’s effectively the ‘home fighter’ as a proclaimed Crystal Palace FC supporter.
Billam-Smith conversely, is a self confessed football fanatic and follower of Bournemouth FC, who also currently reside in the English Premier League.
As a result, a sell-out is assured, held in the open air, and will have the rabid atmosphere of a top football match. The BOXXER promoted event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and the NBC Peacock channel in the USA. It’s also available on TalkSport radio in the UK.
This is a rematch of a July 2019 encounter which Riakporhe narrowly won by split decision on points. The defining moment in their first fight was Billam-Smith being knocked down in the seventh and a 10-8 round being registered in Riakporhe’s favour. That proved the difference.
Billam-Smith, now age 33, subsequently recovered his career and went onto win the WBO title by defeating another Briton Lawrence Okolie in Bournemouth last summer. Okolie has gone on to win a ‘world’ title in a higher weight class, so that gives Billam-Smith’s win even more credibility.
Billam-Smith (19-1, 13 KOs), known as ‘The Gentlemen’, is a model professional with charisma and a strong fanbase. His combative style and reckless abandonment of any defensive tendencies is a good watch, making him box office. This style does though lead to him being prone to cuts.
The 34 year old, more rangy Riakporhe (17-0, 13 KOs), is a big puncher who works off a good strong jab. With the moniker of ‘Midnight Train’ he’s improved with every fight as he’s stepped up in class since the two Brits first met.
We expect a toe-to-toe contest, mainly because the champion doesn’t know any other way to fight. Despite being trained by respected Shane McGuigan, the Bournemouth man is never elusive. He should know from the first contest that Riakporhe can punch, but will be buoyed by a new found ‘champions’ confidence and with his passionate vocal support he won’t resist a ‘tear up’. That may be his downfall.
Riakporhe will be equally backed by his Crystal Palace FC faithful. Despite his knockout record he does have flaws and, his waiting in line for a ‘world’ title shot, may have had one of two effects; either frustration or a complacency.
Both fighters are always in top shape so we expect a war of attrition and both to compete well into the championship rounds. Knockdowns and possibly cuts are expected.
It’s unlikely that Billam-Smith has the power to stop his challenger but he could outwork him down the stretch, as he did against Okolie in winning the title.
Riakporhe will start strongly looking for the KO blow, but the longer the fight goes on the more he will be frustrated. The smart money is on a Riakporhe victory by knockout, but we expect the champion to find a way to retain his title, likely on points.
The event will also feature Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker (7-0, 5 KOs) who is rising fast in the light-heavyweight (12st, 7lb/175 lbs) division. His potential is unlimited and we expect him to come through in style Saturday night. He’s unlikely to steal the show but will again be a good watch. Enjoy !
The Undisputed 