Richard Riakporhe
Richard Riakporhe | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 5 January 1990
Other names | The Midnight Train |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Cruiserweight |
Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
Reach | 77 in (196 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record[1] | |
Total fights | 17 |
Wins | 17 |
Wins by KO | 13 |
Richard Riakporhe (born 5 January 1990) is a
Early life
Born on 5 January 1990 to Nigerian parents and raised, 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
He began 2018 with a TKO victory over Adam Williams in March,
The first defence of his WBA title came on 2 March 2019 against Tommy McCarthy at the East of England Arena in
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
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 is scheduled to challenge Chris Billam-Smith for his WBO cruiserweight title at Selhurst Park in London, England on June 15, 2024. [29]
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][30] Riakporhe is a supporter of Crystal Palace.[31]
Professional boxing record
17 fights | 17 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 13 | 0 |
By decision | 4 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 | Win | 17–0 | Dylan Bregeon | TKO | 2 (8), 1:36 | 18 Nov 2023 | The Halls, Wolverhampton, England | |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Krzysztof Głowacki | TKO | 4 (12), 2:43 | 21 Jan 2023 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Fabio Turchi | TKO | 2 (12), 1:53 | 11 Jun 2022 | The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England | |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Deion Jumah | KO | 8 (12), 0:35 | 26 Mar 2022 | The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England | |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Olanrewaju Durodola | TKO | 5 (10), 0:36 | 20 Nov 2021 | The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England | Won vacant WBC Silver cruiserweight title
|
12 | Win | 12–0 | Krzysztof Twardowski | UD | 8 | 2 Oct 2021 | The SSE Arena Wembley , London, England
|
|
11 | Win | 11–0 | Jack Massey | UD | 12 | 19 Dec 2019 | York Hall, London, England | Won vacant British cruiserweight title |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Chris Billam-Smith | SD | 10 | 20 Jul 2019
|
The O2 Arena, London, England | Retained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Tommy McCarthy | TKO | 4 (10), 2:45 | 2 Mar 2019 | East of England Arena, Peterborough, England | Retained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Sam Hyde | TKO | 8 (10), 2:41 | 10 Nov 2018 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Elvis Dube | RTD | 2 (4), 3:00 | 28 Jul 2018
|
The O2 Arena, London, England | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Adam Williams | TKO | 3 (4), 2:38 | 24 Mar 2018 | The O2 Arena, London, England | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Jiri Svacina | TKO | 2 (6), 0:46 | 14 Oct 2017 | York Hall, London, England | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Milan Cechvala | TKO | 1 (4), 2:15 | 27 May 2017 | York Hall, London, England | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Istvan Orsos | TKO | 1 (4), 2:54 | 18 Feb 2017 | York Hall, London, England | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Aaron Lacy | TKO | 1 (4), 2:14 | 1 Oct 2016 | York Hall, London, England | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Jason Jones | PTS | 4 | 6 Aug 2016 | York Hall, London, England |
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Richard Riakporhe". BoxRec.
- ^ a b Williams, Luke (25 January 2017). "Richard Riakporhe: Man on a mission". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ McManus, Oliver (16 February 2018). "Boxing Insider Interview with Richard Riakporhe". BoxingInsider.com. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Jason Jones". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Songalia, Ryan (2 October 2016). "John O'Donnell outpoints Tommy Tear". The Ring. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Williams, Luke (23 February 2017). "Frontline diary: Thrills and spills at York Hall". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Milan Cechvala". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Jiri Svacina". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Williamson, Chris (24 March 2018). "Dillian Whyte vs. Lucas Browne - LIVE Results From O2 Arena". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Elvis Dube". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Horan, Matt (11 November 2018). "Usyk vs Bellew: Sam Hyde suffers bad injury in Richard Riakporhe loss". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "BoxRec: Richard Riakporhe vs. Sam Hyde". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Foster, Elliot (10 November 2018). "Richard Riakporhe Beats Sam Hyde To Claim WBA Regional". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gilbert, Peter (21 July 2019). "Whyte vs Rivas: Richard Riakpore defeats Chris Billam Smith on points". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Purewal, Andy (18 July 2019). "Richard Riakporhe: "I'm going to beat Chris Billam-Smith in every department!"". Boxing Social. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Christ, Scott (18 December 2019). "Richard Riakporhe and Jack Massey ready for British title fight". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Flexen, Danny. "Richard Riakporhe vs Jack Massey report: becomes British champion, Craig Richards draws". secondsout.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Damerell, Richard. "Richard Riakporhe floors Krzysztof Twardowski in the final round of a points victory". skysports.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Random Hits (16 February 2022). "Richard Riakporhe vs. Fabio Turchi on March 26 in London". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ Random Hits (9 March 2022). "Riakporhe vs. Jumah Clash Set After Turchi, Lawal Withdraw With Injuries". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Boxingscene Staff (26 March 2022). "Richard Riakporhe Blasts Out Jumah in Eight: Dubois, Azeez Get KO Wins". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "Riakporhe wins IBF cruiserweight eliminator". BBC Sport. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Random Hits (21 December 2022). "Jack Massey vs. Joseph Parker, Riakporhe vs. Glowacki Added To Eubank-Smith". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dennen, John (15 June 2023). "Richard Riakporhe mandated for IBF cruiserweight world title shot against Jai Opetaia next". skysports.com. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (24 April 2024). "Chris Billam-Smith faces old rival Richard Riakporhe in London in June". FIGHTMAG.
- ^ O'Neill, Lottie (13 April 2019). "Inside the world of knife crime that got me and my brother stabbed". essexlive. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ |url=https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/programme/how-palace-fan-richard-riakporhe-overcame-stabbing-to-become-cruiserweight-champion-boxer/2020-09-22/ |title=How Palace fan Richard Riakporhe overcame stabbing to become cruiserweight champion boxer.
External links
- Official website
- Boxing record for Richard Riakporhe from BoxRec (registration required)