From the Midlands to Miami
There's pressure on this Richard Riakporhe journey. Not just for the man himself, but for those guiding him towards what we all believe will be world title honours.
A lot of the build up surrounded the power Richard possesses, and it was only right that he wrote this chapter of the story in that fashion. What looked even more impressive however, was that this wasn't just a gung-ho destruction performance from Richard.
Although it only took 5 minutes for Richard to dish out the shot that would finish the fight, it was during that time that he showed patience and intelligence to find openings. In the first, a lot of his work was catching the gloves of Turchi, who tucked up nice and tight.
Unfortunately for Turchi, he didn't tuck up tight enough in round 2, as a fairly innocuously looking left hook sunk into the Italian's body. He rose, but barely so before his trainer stormed the ring towel-in-hand. If it was Richard's previous fight that showed the pop behind his right hand, then it was this one which showed the venom behind the left.
Post fight had all the trimmings to match. Ben Shalom called him the biggest puncher he's ever seen (I think we'll hold fire on that!) - whilst Johnny Nelson warned his competitors that they are best off catching him now, before an even deadlier Riakporhe is the one they may have to cross down the line.
There was without surprise talk about a possible fight with fellow Londoner Lawrence Okolie, and rightly so. But a little inkling has me thinking that dragging Ilunga Makabu to the capital could well be Boxxer's next move.
2 southpaws back-to-back in Deion Jumah and Fabio Turchi, would seem the perfect preparation for the WBC champion at 200lbs.
Whatever the move, it's brilliant to see the boxing public's interest in Richard surge again. 18 months out the ring, including a completely blank 2020, had nudged Richard towards the back of a line including fighters he had previously beaten - the likes of Tommy McCarthy & Chris Billam-Smith. Now we wait for something huge.
A bit further north on Saturday night, and you could see the prestigious British title being contested for in Telford. The Midlands town has become a hotbed for Frank Warren to blood his long roster of talent, as well as serve up some domestic fireworks. Liam Davies is Telford born and bred, and his first shot at the Lord Lonsdale belt would come against Marc Leach. Marc had won the title in the away corner at the start of the year, in a 'bull vs matador' type win over Chris Bourke. Liam was always going to have to play the bull in this one, and his front foot gameplan saw him cut early on in the 1st, but also put Leach on the canvas. The middle rounds were extremely tough to score, and down the stretch both men must've felt it was close - as they pushed the fight making for an entertaining final 3 rounds. Telford erupted when the cards were read, and Liam Davies could finally fulfil his dream of taking the British title to the resting place of his late grandad.
From the Midlands to Miami, and a Don King promoted show offered Daniel Dubois a seat at the negotiating table with the Heavyweight division's big boys. Trevor Bryan was the man standing between Daniel and the bargain tool - the WBA trinket formally classed as the 'Regular' title. Regardless of the esteem said belt was held in, it was one that sees a fighter announced as a 'world champion'. And Dubois came out like it meant that and more. Within 30 seconds he had Bryan rocked, and within 4 rounds he had him face down on the canvas. Despite the reward, anything but the expected stoppage would have been considered an underwhelming night's work; with that in mind, Daniel did a professional job in dispatching Bryan efficiently. Now 3 fights into the post-Joyce revival, Daniel has his eyes on the big names, which is maybe the only thing his career resume lacks. A fight with Dillian Whyte could breed big interest, and thankfully for Daniel would be placed at a venue like the O2 Arena, rather than what looked like a disused casino 5000 miles away. Anthony Joshua is another name that jumps out, and one that Dubois is readily open to, but a rematch with the division's most awkward fighter is waiting first.
Whatever the case, Britain is well placed when it comes to the future of boxing's big men.