Chris Billam-Smith staged a successful title defense on Saturday in London after earning a unanimous decision win over Richard Riakporhe in one of the best fights of his career to extend his reign as the WBO cruiserweight champion. The fight marked the 33-year-old’s revenge against Riakporhe, who, five years ago, handed him his only career loss till date.
The theme of revenge was major coming into the fight. Billam-Smith insisted that he was a better boxer than he was in 2019, and he had gained the necessary experience needed to take down Riakporhe.
As for Riakporhe, he was determined to displace Billiam-Smith and become the new WBO cruiserweight champion, while taking their fighting record to 2-0. But it turned out the former British cruiserweight champion had underestimated his opponent.
The first round of the match was dominated by Riakporhe, who drew reactions from spectators with some of the moves he made. By the second round, Billam-Smith found his tempo and the stakes of the right increased. The outcome of the match may have been different if a right hand from connected in the third, as the two worked to find ways to subdue the other.
Billam-Smith’s prowess was not in doubt and by the seventh round, he was calling the shots, as he unsettled Riakporhe with blow after blow, not giving any room for a reply.
The last two rounds of the fight were very controlled by the winner, all of which further frustrated Riakporhe who used his head in the final round and had a point deducted for that.
Hailed as one of Billam-Smith’s best fights, the revenge he got to claim adds more to what the fight meant for him. After the match, he expressed admiration for Riakporhe, adding all he needed was some more experience to improve his form.
On who he would face next, Billam-Smith revealed he has his sights set on Gilberto Ramirez, the current WBA champion, and would not mind going all the way to the US to make the fight happen.
