Key points:
- Craig Richards left disappointed by Matchroom Boxing
- The “Spider” believes he was stepped over by Ben Whittaker
- Richards has no ill feelings and believes its just business
Craig Richards (20-4-1, 13 KOs) admits he was disappointed by his now-former promoter Matchroom Boxing after they secured a world title final eliminator for fellow light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker over him.
It was quite a surprise when news broke that the “Spider” switched to Matchroom’s rival Zuffa Boxing. He’s all set for his promotional debut this weekend, September 26, at the Copper Box Arena against “Hot Rod” Radivoje Kalajdzic, live on Sky Sports.
The 36-year-old south Londoner had been a main-stay at Matchroom Boxing, fighting for the promotion since his pro debut over a decade ago in 2015.
The Crystal Palace puncher had been on a good run too, stopping Irishman Padraig McCrory and fellow south Londoner Dan Azeez inside the distance during 2025.
Richards was told that those victories would naturally earn him a shot at a world championship, but that was not delivered by his trusted promoter Eddie Hearn.
“We got to the point that Matchroom couldn’t deliver what was next for me,” a regrettable Richards explained to BoxingScene. “We had a conversation about it and basically Zuffa could deliver what I needed. We left Matchroom amicably and joined Zuffa and we’re looking for the next chapter now.
“They said to me that the winner would push on for world titles… I went and got two back-to-back knockouts, which warranted me for the world title. Then that wasn’t able to be delivered.”
Richards further revealed that he had agreed to an IBF light-heavyweight final eliminator against Ireland’s Conor Wallace with Matchroom, but that fight was later handed to their recent signing, Ben Whittaker.
“We spoke about a final eliminator and I agreed on that. Conor Wallace was one of the opponents for the IBF final eliminator,” Richards said. “You saw Whittaker got the fight, and there was not much for me to wait around for because if the world title can’t get delivered and the final eliminator couldn’t get delivered, then obviously I have to push on with my career, don’t I?”
The IBF moved Whittaker from fifth place to second in their 175lbs rankings in April following Whittaker’s victory over Braian Nahuel Suarez. In the same timeframe, Richards has remained just outside the top 10.
Richards, a former British champion, challenged Dmitry Bivol in 2021 under Matchroom’s management, and lost by just one point on one scorecard – 114-115.
“It is what it is,” he added. “It’s business. At the end of the day, they’ve made the right business moves. They’ve got to make the right moves for themselves, and I’ve just got to make the right moves for myself and push on to keep chasing my goals and aspirations.”
Craig joins two other ex-Matchroom men at Zuffa – “The Romford Bull” Johnny Fisher and the controversial Conor Benn.