Richard Riakporhe turned down a rematch with Chris Billam-Smith after his rival demanded the fight take place in Bournemouth.
Riakporhe is expected to return on the undercard of Liam Smith's rematch with Chris Eubank Jr as he continues his cruiserweight journey under the Sky Sports and BOXXER banner. The South London star is set to receive a world-title shot of his own this year but it will not be against Lawrence Okolie or Billam-Smith with the pair set to meet this month.
Billam-Smith claimed that his former conqueror Riakporhe, who defeated him by split decision in 2019, rejected the fight in December after refusing to step onto enemy territory. And the 32-year-old has revealed he did not feel he needed to accept the showdown, given his pursuit of silverware in the cruiserweight division.
