Richard Riakporhe

Last updated

Richard Riakporhe
Born (1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 34)
London, England
Other namesThe Midnight Train
Statistics
Weight(s) Cruiserweight
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Reach77 in (196 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record [1]
Total fights18
Wins17
Wins by KO13
Losses1

Richard Riakporhe (born 5 January 1990) is a professional boxer who held the British cruiserweight title from 2019 to 2020.

Contents

Early life

Born on 5 January 1990 to Nigerian parents, Richard Riakporhe grew up on the Aylesbury Estate in Walworth, London. At the age of 15, he was stabbed in the chest outside a house party, requiring emergency surgery to drain his lungs of blood. Riakporhe had a late start to boxing; first stepping into a gym, the Lynn ABC, at the age of 19. [2] Alongside boxing as an amateur he continued in pursuit of further education, studying at college and eventually moving on to Kingston University in south west London, earning a degree in marketing communications and advertising in 2015. [3]

Professional career

Riakporhe made his professional debut on 6 August 2016, scoring a four-round points decision (PTS) victory over Jason Jones at the York Hall in London. [4] Following a second win in 2016 – a technical knockout (TKO) over Aaron Lacy in October [5] – he scored three consecutive TKO victories in 2017; against Istvan Orsos in February; [6] Milan Cechvala in May; [7] and Jiri Svacina in October. [8]

He began 2018 with a TKO victory over Adam Williams in March, [9] followed by a win via corner retirement (RTD) against Elvis Dube in July. [10] Riakporhe's final fight of 2018 was against Sam Hyde on 10 November at the Manchester Arena, with the vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title on the line. Riakporhe won via eighth-round TKO after Hyde's trainer, Joe Gallagher, threw in the towel after Hyde sustained an eye injury from a right hook. [11] Riakporhe was behind on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with two judges scoring the bout 68–65 while the third scored it 67–66. [12] The fight was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom and streamed through DAZN in the United States as part of the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tony Bellew. [13]

The first defence of his WBA title came on 2 March 2019 against Tommy McCarthy at the East of England Arena in Peterborough. Riakporhe dropped his opponent twice en route to a fourth-round TKO. [14] He defended the title for a second time against Chris Billam-Smith on 20 July at The O2 Arena, London. Riakporhe won by split decision (SD), with two judges scoring the bout in favour of Riakporhe at 97–92 and 95–94, while the third scored it to Smith at 96–93. [15] The fight was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom and streamed through DAZN in the United States as part of the undercard for Dillian Whyte vs. Óscar Rivas. [16] Riakporhe was scheduled to face Jack Massey on 19 December 2019 for the vacant British cruiserweight title. [17] He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111. [18]

Riakporhe returned from a near two-year layoff to face Krzysztof Twardowski on 2 October 2021 in his first non-title bout since 28 July 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 79-72. [19] A month later, Riakporhe beat Olanrewaju Durodola by a fifth-round technical knockout to capture the vacant WBC Silver cruiserweight title. [20]

Riakporhe was booked to face Fabio Turchi on 26 March 2022, in the main event of a BOXXER Fight Night card which will take place at the Wembley Arena in London, England. [21] Turchi withdrew from the bout on 9 March, due to injuries sustained in training, and was replaced by Deion Jumah. [22] He won the fight by knockout, flooring Jumah with a right straight to the body early in the eight round. [23] Riakporhe faced Turchi on the 11 June 2022, once again as the main event of a BOXXER card. Riakporhe extended his unbeaten record again in an IBF world title eliminator, flooring Turchi in the second with a body shot. Turchi rose to his feet after the eight count, but, with Turchi being visibly hurt, his corner threw in the towel. Referee Steve Gray stopped the fight 1:53 into the round. [24]

Riakporhe faced the former two-time WBO cruiserweight world champion Krzysztof Głowacki on 21 January 2023 (on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith). [25] He won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. [26]

On June 15, 2023, the IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia was ordered to make a mandatory title defense against Riakporhe. He entered into negotiations with Opetaia in lieu of Mateusz Masternak, who withdrew from a scheduled purse bid with the Australian the day before. [27] Riakporhe withdrew from the negotiations on August 8, 2023, shortly before a scheduled purse bid hearing. [28]

Riakporhe challenged WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith at Selhurst Park in London, England, on June 15, 2024, but lost by unanimous decision. The ringside judges scored the contest 116-111, 115-112, 115-112. [29] [30] [31] [32]

Outside of boxing

Drawing from his experiences of a troubled upbringing, Riakporhe set up a company, Richard Riakporhe Foundation, which focuses on talking to schoolchildren on positive thinking and the dangers of knife crime. [2] [33] Riakporhe is a supporter of Crystal Palace. [34]

Professional boxing record

18 fights17 wins1 loss
By knockout130
By decision41
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
18Loss17-1 Chris Billam-Smith UD1215 Jun 2024 Selhurst Park, London, EnglandFor WBO cruiserweight title
17Win17–0 Dylan Bregeon TKO2 (8), 1:3618 Nov 2023The Halls, Wolverhampton, England
16Win16–0 Krzysztof Głowacki TKO4 (12), 2:43 21 Jan 2023 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
15Win15–0 Fabio Turchi TKO2 (12), 1:5311 Jun 2022The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England
14Win14–0 Deion Jumah KO8 (12), 0:3526 Mar 2022The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England
13Win13–0 Olanrewaju Durodola TKO5 (10), 0:3620 Nov 2021The SSE Arena Wembley, London, EnglandWon vacant WBC Silver cruiserweight title
12Win12–0Krzysztof TwardowskiUD82 Oct 2021 The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England
11Win11–0 Jack Massey UD1219 Dec 2019York Hall, London, EnglandWon vacant British cruiserweight title
10Win10–0 Chris Billam-Smith SD10 20 Jul 2019 The O2 Arena, London, EnglandRetained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
9Win9–0 Tommy McCarthy TKO4 (10), 2:452 Mar 2019East of England Arena, Peterborough, EnglandRetained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
8Win8–0 Sam Hyde TKO8 (10), 2:4110 Nov 2018 Manchester Arena, Manchester, EnglandWon vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
7Win7–0Elvis DubeRTD2 (4), 3:00 28 Jul 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England
6Win6–0Adam WilliamsTKO3 (4), 2:3824 Mar 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England
5Win5–0Jiri SvacinaTKO2 (6), 0:4614 Oct 2017York Hall, London, England
4Win4–0Milan CechvalaTKO1 (4), 2:1527 May 2017York Hall, London, England
3Win3–0Istvan OrsosTKO1 (4), 2:5418 Feb 2017York Hall, London, England
2Win2–0Aaron LacyTKO1 (4), 2:141 Oct 2016York Hall, London, England
1Win1–0Jason JonesPTS46 Aug 2016 York Hall, London, England

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References

  1. ↑ "Boxing record for Richard Riakporhe". BoxRec .
  2. 1 2 Williams, Luke (25 January 2017). "Richard Riakporhe: Man on a mission". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  3. ↑ McManus, Oliver (16 February 2018). "Boxing Insider Interview with Richard Riakporhe". BoxingInsider.com. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Jason Jones". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Songalia, Ryan (2 October 2016). "John O'Donnell outpoints Tommy Tear". The Ring. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Williams, Luke (23 February 2017). "Frontline diary: Thrills and spills at York Hall". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Milan Cechvala". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Jiri Svacina". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Williamson, Chris (24 March 2018). "Dillian Whyte vs. Lucas Browne - LIVE Results From O2 Arena". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Elvis Dube". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  11. ↑ Horan, Matt (11 November 2018). "Usyk vs Bellew: Sam Hyde suffers bad injury in Richard Riakporhe loss". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Sam Hyde". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  13. ↑ Foster, Elliot (10 November 2018). "Richard Riakporhe Beats Sam Hyde To Claim WBA Regional". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  14. ↑ Damerell, Richard (3 March 2019). "Richard Riakporhe halted Tommy McCarthy in fourth round on JD NXTGEN bill in Peterborough". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  15. ↑ Gilbert, Peter (21 July 2019). "Whyte vs Rivas: Richard Riakpore defeats Chris Billam Smith on points". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Purewal, Andy (18 July 2019). "Richard Riakporhe: "I'm going to beat Chris Billam-Smith in every department!"". Boxing Social. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  17. ↑ Christ, Scott (18 December 2019). "Richard Riakporhe and Jack Massey ready for British title fight". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Flexen, Danny. "Richard Riakporhe vs Jack Massey report: becomes British champion, Craig Richards draws". secondsout.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  19. ↑ Damerell, Richard. "Richard Riakporhe floors Krzysztof Twardowski in the final round of a points victory". skysports.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  20. ↑ Dielhenn, James. "Richard Riakporhe storms past Olanrewaju Durodola in a statement KO victory to set up WBC cruiserweight title chance". skysports.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  21. ↑ Random Hits (16 February 2022). "Richard Riakporhe vs. Fabio Turchi on March 26 in London". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  22. ↑ Random Hits (9 March 2022). "Riakporhe vs. Jumah Clash Set After Turchi, Lawal Withdraw With Injuries". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  23. ↑ Boxingscene Staff (26 March 2022). "Richard Riakporhe Blasts Out Jumah in Eight: Dubois, Azeez Get KO Wins". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  24. ↑ "Riakporhe wins IBF cruiserweight eliminator". BBC Sport. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  25. ↑ Random Hits (21 December 2022). "Jack Massey vs. Joseph Parker, Riakporhe vs. Glowacki Added To Eubank-Smith". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  26. ↑ Christ, Scott (21 January 2023). "Eubank Jr vs Smith full fight video highlights and results: Riakporhe stops Glowacki, Essuman and Parker win". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  27. ↑ Dennen, John (15 June 2023). "Richard Riakporhe mandated for IBF cruiserweight world title shot against Jai Opetaia next". skysports.com. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  28. ↑ Donovan, Jake (8 August 2023). "Richard Riakporhe Pulled From Ordered IBF Title Fight Versus Jai Opetaia, Purse Bid Canceled". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "Chris Billam-Smith Gains Revenge In Victory Over Richard Riakporhe". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  30. ↑ "Chris Billam-Smith beats Richard Riakporhe to retain WBO cruiserweight world title at Selhurst Park". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  31. ↑ "Billam-Smith outpoints Riakporhe to retain world title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  32. ↑ "Ringside Report: Chris Billam-Smith Gets Sweet Revenge Over Richard Riakporhe". fightpost.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  33. ↑ O'Neill, Lottie (13 April 2019). "Inside the world of knife crime that got me and my brother stabbed". essexlive. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  34. ↑ "How Palace fan Richard Riakporhe overcame stabbing to become cruiserweight champion boxer". Crystal Palace FC. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Ryad Merhy 		WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight champion
10 November 2018 – present		Incumbent
Vacant
Title last held by
Lawrence Okolie 		British cruiserweight champion
19 December 2019 – September 2020
Vacated		Vacant
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