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.
"Yes there was an opportunity to fight Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth," Riakporhe confirmed in an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting. "I preferred it to be on neutral ground. I think it was a good fight for me because it would have been a good measuring stick to see where I am for the fight after that.
"It didn't materialise because he wanted the world-title fight against Lawrence Okolie. And that is fair enough because getting an opportunity to fight a world champion in your home stadium, it is written in the stars. So why not let him take that opportunity and at the end of the day I have already beaten him.
"He is already on my CV so it is not a fight that I needed, it was more for the fans really. The fans always talk about how that was a good fight, but they know deep down the outcome. And they know deep down that I would probably have won by knockout. It is what it is, we have bigger fish to fry and we want to win world titles."
Who would win if the pair rematched - Richard Riakporhe or Chris Billam-Smith? Let us know in the comments section below
Riakporhe has revealed that he could now instead receive his own world-title shot in a huge clash with WBA title holder Arsen Goulamirian later this year. And he believes that despite a period of frustration, he has made the right call to be patient and give time for a world-title route to open up.
"I was a little frustrated but then I realised every dog has its day," Riakporhe continued. "Me having not received it yet is giving me more time to go back to the gym and work on my craft. It is giving me more time to prepare, the skills to pay the bills. I actually think this could be working in my favour."
