World Boxing Organization (WBO) cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith disposed of another British cruiserweight rival in Richard Riakporhe by battling to a unanimous decision (UD) win. The two headlined a Boxxer card at the Selhurst Park Football Ground on Saturday, June 15th, which saw Billam-Smith retain his WBO title after the designated 12 rounds.
The June 15th match last Saturday between Chris Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KO’s) and Richard Riakporhe (17-1, 13 KO’s) was a rematch of the 2019 match between the two fighters which saw Riakporhe narrowly come out on top through a split-decision (SD).
This time, however, it would be Billam-Smith who rose to the occasion, winning the majority of the rounds through his work ethic, ring IQ and determination to come through with a wide victory.
Like Billam-Smith’s previous British cruiserweight (200 lbs) rival, Lawrence Okolie (20-1, 15 KO’s), Riakporhe put up a surprisingly lackluster performance, throwing few punches with an apparent set gameplan of aiming for a knockout (KO) or stoppage (TKO/RTD) victory rather than applying a strategy to keep the very busy Billam-Smith off him.
The first couple of rounds were clearly in favor of Billam-Smith who quickly established the pace, outpointing his rival with combinations while pressuring him. Riakporhe’s key attribute was his jab which threatened to cause Billam-Smith trouble and even resulted in a nose injury of sorts judging by the bleeding, but Riakporhe could not capitalize on his own advantages.
Billam-Smith, however, could and used his experience and greater conditioning to the fullest of his ability, constantly pushing Riakporhe into the ropes or corner with his activity. Riakporhe’s own activity was far from efficient, with his shots, often power shots, not thrown enough for him to make a difference. Several rounds Riakporhe did seem to buzz Billam-Smith through sheer power, but the lack of Riakporhe’s gas tank made those moments sporadic.
Defining the match for the most part was Billam-Smith’s own skill, managing to be more accurate and efficient with the punches he landed, and impressing with the blows that struck Riakporhe with uppercuts often finding its way past Riakporhe’s defense.
Another notable part of the fight was Riakporhe’s continued holding and clinching, as well as what looked to be accidental headbutts―which even culminated in Riakporhe losing a point in the last and 12th round. Like when Billam-Smith fought Lawrence Okolie last year, Riakporhe also tended to clinch too much to make for an exciting match; likely due to wrestling with his own stamina or/and the lack of any viable gameplan or hunger to stake his claim as the victor.
However, throughout the constant holding, Billam-Smith showed a tremendous fighting mentality to work himself way out the clinches that ensued and showed admirable fortitude and ring generalship throughout the match, eventually leading to a UD victory with scorecards of 116-111, and 115-112 twice. Billam-Smith also retained his WBO cruiserweight title for the second time since winning it off Okolie.
Billam-Smith now appears to be targeting Australian IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KO’s) for a potential unification fight, and following his last performance and revenge victory over Riakporhe, the British fighter does appear confident and capable of becoming Opetaia’s toughest opponent yet.
The rest of the Boxxer card saw several other matches of interest occurred. British light-heavyweight (175 lbs) Dan Azeez (20-1-1, 13 KO’s) returned to the ring―following last year’s loss to his own domestic rival in Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KO’s)―in a 8-round 175 lbs non-title bout against unknown Croatian fighter Hrvoje Sep (12-2-1, 9 KO’s) in a fight that was supposed to be an easy match for Azeez.
However, Azeez disappointed heavily as he failed to claim a victory against the lesser-experienced Sep, eventually drawing with the Croatian over the course of the 8 rounds that he fought. The number of rounds itself were notable, as Azeez had been a steadfast contender prior to his loss to Buatsi and regularly competed in 10- or 12-bout rounds; indicating his match with Sep was set up for him to win soundly in what could arguably be construed to be a “tune-up” fight.
Azeez not only failed to grab a victory, but further placed doubts on his own ability moving forward to compete for a title as he struggled against Sep who in turn defied his own resume and status as an underdog as he fought to a draw. While there is enough time for Azeez, 34, to climb up the rankings again, his draw against Sep will require him to change something within his preparation or/and team in order to enable him to be competitive against; given the amount of better fighters than Sep he would need to face to challenge for a world title.
In the same division, British prospect Ben Whittaker (8-0, 5 KO’s) did decent enough against Nigerian rival Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka (12-1, 10 KO’s) who was widely outclassed despite showing grit and toughness. Faced against an abundantly more skilled opponent, Arenyeka found himself frustrated several times due to Whittaker’s signature showboating which led to an [unpunished] headbutt following the end of the 6th round, and had a point deducted after elbowing Arenyeka in the 7th.
However, despite Whittaker winning handily by unanimous decision through scorecards of 100-90, and 99-90 twice, the Olympic silver medalist may be facing criticism for not dispatching Arenyeka by a knockout or stoppage who proved to be defensively inept and found himself bombarded by Whittaker’s punches every round.
Given Arenyeka did not have anywhere close to a stellar resume or above-average skills, Whittaker largely failed to meet the expectations surrounding his potential as a future world champion despite his victory, but the British 175-pounder can nonetheless still improve steadily over the next couple of fights; depending on who he is matched against and whether he will be challenged appropriately.
