Repeat or Revenge? Chris Billam-Smith vs Richard Riakporhe fight preview
‘The Gentleman’ is ready to take ‘The Midnight Train’ going anywhere…
‘The Gentleman’ Chris Billam-Smith (19-1, 13KO) is all set for the second defence of his WBO World cruiserweight title against a familiar foe in Richard ‘The Midnight Train’ Riakporhe (17-0, 13KO) on Saturday, June 15 at Selhurst Park, the home of Premier League football club Crystal Palace.
The highly-anticipated rematch will be promoted by Ben Shalom’s BOXXER and broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK.
These British cruiserweights have met once before, almost a full five years ago in 2019, when they were both up-and-coming 9-0 prospects.
It was a thrilling encounter at The O2 in Greenwich, very nip and tuck, most rounds extremely difficult to score, with big shots distributed and received by both men, who equally believed they had won when it came to the conclusion of the 10 WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight championship contest.
The split decision result saw a wide score of 97-92 given to Riakporhe, another clear score of 96-93 favoured to CBS, but it was the narrow 95-94 verdict that saw the local man Riakporhe’s hand raised on the night.
Bournemouth’s Billam-Smith’s biggest shots were just absorbed by the tough Londoner, Riakporhe, who also dished out the best of his back, notably the right hook and uppercut, and somehow the Dorset man still stayed standing.
Riakporhe seemed to get the better of Billam-Smith in close, and was able to score a knockdown when the ropes held his rival up in the seventh. CBS protested because there was a big shove to force him over the top ropes, which the referee failed to consider, but he was very up against it under a frenzied attack and the 10-second respite could have done him a favour.
The rounds were so vey close, hardly anything in them. Billam-Smith was forced to rally back late on, due to the 10-8 round, but the eye-catching shots were landed by the more accurate Riakporhe.
Surprisingly, it was the loser of that match that went on to become a world champion, whereas Riakporhe has claimed the British title since.
So this time they won’t meet as even opponents with the same record, instead Billam-Smith will enter the ring as the reigning world champion in what will be his third world title fight.
Billam-Smith’s opponents’ combined records amount to 245-100 compared to Riakporhe’s 208-194, which shows the champion has been mixing with better quality, such as Lawrence Okolie, Mateusz Masternak and Isaac Chamberlain to name just a few.
Riakporhe also possesses some respectable scalps, such as two-time world champion Krzysztof Glowacki, EBU champ Fabio Turchi and fellow Brit Jack Massey.
CBS has boxed in 128 professional rounds, which considerably dwarfs the experience of his opponent, who has only managed 77, despite turning pro one year earlier in 2016.
The seasoned Smith’s last seven fights have all been 12-rounders and this will serve as his 10th 12-round contest, but only the fifth time for the challenger, so the defending world champion definitely has the advantage in experience, especially up at the highest level.
The hard-hitting Londoner has a higher KO ratio than the champ – 76% to 68% – and has halted his last four foes, averaging four-rounds per fight, and 11 of his 13 KOs have occurred in the first half of the contests.
The champion has stopped three from his last five, averaging seven rounds, sometimes taking a little longer to grow into the fight. He has notably been behind in a few contests but able to turn it around to come on strong later.
The opening rounds could be the most exciting as Riakporhe is expected to start fast, but the capable champion is tenacious and tough and comes through any storm shining brightly.
Betting Odds
Billam-Smith: 21/10
Riakporhe: 1/2
Draw: 18/1
Prediction
We have seen Chris Billam-Smith start some fights a little slowly, so, true his moniker, Richard Riakporhe will do well to come out of the tracks like a fast train and establish his dominance and power early.
I would personally value Riakporhe’s power above Billam-Smith’s, and if there’s a knockout to be had, I would side with him.
Possessing the greater experience and activity, CBS could possibly thrive in the latter half of the fight having spent much more time there. Since they last met, Billam-Smith has amassed another 86 rounds compared to Riakporhe’s 41.
Despite how tough and how much heart the champion has, I am predicting a stoppage win to Riakporhe, which could come at any time, but most likely from round four onwards.