FORMER world title challenger Richard Riakporhe is set to make his heavyweight debut on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez and William Scull’s undisputed super-middleweight clash.
The 35-year-old has not fought since his unanimous decision defeat to Chris Billam-Smith, the WBO world cruiserweight champion at the time, back in June of last year.
In that encounter, Riakporhe, 17-1 (13 KOs), lacked his usual assertiveness and instead produced a largely one-dimensional performance, allowing Billam-Smith to dominate their 12-round contest at Selhurst Park.
But while his last outing, at the home of his beloved Crystal Palace Football Club, was far removed from a dream stadium fight, the Londoner nonetheless looks to make a seismic splash in the land of the giants.
He was, as it happens, supposed to face former cruiserweight titlist Lawrence Okolie, who has also jumped up to heavyweight, earlier this month.
With the pair sharing a fierce rivalry, but ultimately having never squared off in the ring, their contest promised to deliver an enthralling domestic dustup.
Okolie, however, was forced to pull out of their scheduled showdown with an injury, leaving Riakporhe without an opponent and, in turn, no return date on the calendar.
But now, it would appear that ‘The Midnight Train’ could feature on the undercard of Canelo-Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this Saturday.
Boxxer boss Ben Shalom, who promotes Riakporhe, is eager to deliver a slot for his fighter while also representing Martin Bakole, another heavyweight featuring on the card.
In terms of an opponent, though, it seems that the former British champion is unlikely to face any of the top contenders just yet.
“We’re hoping he’s going to be on the Canelo card, just in a return fight – his first fight at heavyweight,” Shalom told Boxing News.
“Obviously he was meant to fight Lawrence [Okolie] a few weeks ago, and that got cancelled, so we want to make sure he gets a fight.”
