THE fierce rivalry between Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe has been reignited ahead of their all-British heavyweight clash on April 5.
It was announced earlier today that the pair will collide at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, featuring on the undercard of Dillian Whyte vs Joe Joyce.
This card marks the first of three scheduled events that will see Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions shift from TNT Sports to DAZN.
But while the ‘Heavy Impact’ show in April should deliver fireworks from start to finish, its mouth-watering chief support seemingly has all the ingredients to steal the spotlight.
Former world cruiserweight champion Okolie, 21-1 (16 KOs), crossed paths with Riakporhe, 17-1 (13 KOs), back in 2023, with the two mountainous operators engaging in an impromptu scuffle at the movie premiere of Creed III.
Since their altercation, Okolie has earned a third-place ranking with the WBC after producing a ruthless first-round finish last December to stake his claim as a formidable heavyweight contender.
Riakporhe, meanwhile, is yet to enter the land of the giants but instead comes off a unanimous decision defeat to Chris Billam-Smith last June.
But still, the 35-year-old appears to be drenched in confidence ahead of what could easily be the toughest test of his career.
At today’s press conference, Riakporhe poked fun at Okolie’s tendency to clinch his opponents whenever he is forced into a short-range exchange.
“I’m scared of a big hug that might suffocate me,” the Londoner jokingly said.
In response, Okolie said: “I’m going to deal with you in good fashion and then you can go back to kissing Madonna, or doing whatever you do in your modelling career.”
Riakporhe then revealed that he had signed a contract to face ‘The Sauce’ ahead of his world title shot against Billam-Smith.
But his defeat last year, of course, meant that their eagerly anticipated matchup has only now been revisited.
