Two fights have been added to the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith on January 21, with Joseph Parker and Richard Riakporhe set to take to the ring.
Former heavyweight champion Parker looks to bounce back to winning ways against Jack Massey, who has lost just one of his 21 professional fights. Parker was stopped by Joe Joyce in the 10th round of their slugfest in September and Massey hasn't stepped foot in the ring since knocking out journeyman Vaclav Pejsar in April.
Founder and CEO of Boxxer Ben Shalom said of the fight: "Massey has been begging me for this fight against Parker. He has got huge support in Manchester and now he’ll be fighting one of the biggest names in boxing. Parker is coming back after his Fight of the Year contender with Joyce and will want to show exactly what he is all about."
Also on the Manchester bill, unbeaten Londoner Riakporhe continues his journey towards a world title shot as he faces former two-time cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki. Riakporhe is set for one of the toughest challenges of his career against Glowacki, whose only defeats have come against reigning and former world champions in Oleksandr Usyk, Maris Briedis and Lawrence Okolie.
"I’m really pleased that he took the fight. I can test the ‘Midnight Train’ once again and everybody can see how I fare up to the test of facing a former world champion. He won’t be a pushover and I have to be at the top of my A game. It is going to be fireworks, believe me," Riakporhe said.
Who wins on January 21 - Chris Eubank Jr or Liam Smith? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below.
"It’s a massive test and a huge step up for Riakporhe against a former two-world champion, whose only defeats are to Usyk, Breidis, and Okolie," Shalom added. "Glowacki has had a long time to prepare for this and it’s a huge cruiserweight fight that could be a headline bout. In what is a very exciting division, it’s crunch time for Richard."
At the top of the card, Eubank Jr returns to action just three months after his ill-fated fight with Conor Benn fell apart following 'The Destroyer' failing a pre-fight drug test. The fight was cancelled at the last minute, but Eubank Jr is hoping to get himself back in world title contention at 165lb with a win over former world titleholder Smith.
