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Richard Riakporhe and Justis Huni’s statement win on the Tyson Fury undercard

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4 months ago

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The Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov fight card includes three intriguing fights, the main event of which will be Conor Benn vs. Regis Prograis.

There will also be two heavyweight fights at the start of the main card [Netflix, 7 p.m. U.K, 2 p.m. ET in U.S].

Frazer Clarke will face Australian Justis Huni, who had a good performance in June after losing to Fabio Wardley.

Jeamie “TKV” Tshikeva will next defend his British heavyweight title against former world cruiserweight title challenger Richard Riakporhe.

Huni: Now everyone knows my name

Huni (12-1, 7 KO) may have been the latest casualty of Wardley’s stoppage in his last fight, but the Australian’s stock rose after he turned in a sturdy boxing performance.

Huni was ahead on the judges’ scorecards and was on his way to a eminent upset before Wardley caught him with a right hand.

Now the 27-year-old is back on the substantial stage and wants to prove his level once again.

“Just being in an environment with substantial players and substantial names, that’s what I want for myself,” Huni told reporters this week.

“That’s what I want for my career. In Australia you can have a lot of diminutive fights and be unknown. I had that one fight with Fabio, I came back here and I feel like everyone knows my name now.”

Huni insists he can only take positives from the experience after being drafted in as Wardley’s last-minute replacement, insisting he has shown the level he can play at and has no intention of backsliding against Clarke.

“I almost made it through the entire fight and could have potentially won it,” Huni says.

“And now he’s world champion. I could be in that position. So yes, it’s only positive things. I think even Fabio… He said my name in one of his press conferences and said [Huni] he’s currently beating 90% of the heavyweights.

“I’m just joyful to be back here fighting on the substantial stage.”

Riakporhe: I am what the heavyweight division needs

Richard Riakporhe can claim to be whole. After just one cruiserweight loss to then world champion Chris Billam-Smith, Riakporhe believes he is now finally finding his feet in the heavyweight division. On the side, he is also a male model and has collaborated with Adidas and Burberry.

The 36-year-old can claim the British heavyweight title with Saturday’s victory over Jeamie “TKV” Tshikewa and intends to employ this opportunity to make a name for himself.

“I feel like something is missing in the heavyweight division,” Riakporhe said this week. “It has to do with aesthetics. It has to do with characters, personalities. And I think people want to see more… I wouldn’t say smaller guys, but more athletic heavyweights.”

“They say, ‘Yes, he’s a world champion, but you can’t see his abs.’ And regular fans look and think, ‘That doesn’t even make sense.’

“Now we have an Adonis inside us who looks good and can fight. That’s what they need. They need me.”

He may look it, but Riakoprhe knows he has to give fans what they want more than anything else: stylish victories and knockouts.

“I can knock on anyone’s door. I have that power, man. It’s weird. And I didn’t really understand it. People used to say, ‘Richard’s got a great chance. He’s got a substantial right hand.’ I say, “Yes.”

“I watch highlights of major events. I say to myself, ‘This looks scary. This looks really scary.’ And that’s why I always pray for my opponents.”

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Boxing

Teofimo Lopez Targets Next Opponent After WBA Welterweight Title Victory Over Rolly Romero

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5 hours ago

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August 23, 2026

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"Teofimo Lopez Targets Next Opponent After WBA Welterweight Title Victory Over Rolly Romero"

Teofimo Lopez already has his next target in mind following his victory over Rolly Romero.

Lopez claimed the WBA welterweight title with a majority decision win over Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, becoming a three-division world champion in the process.

Fans have already began to speculate over who Lopez may turn his attention to next, and it didn’t take ‘The Takeover’ long to make his intentions perfectly clear.

Speaking in his post-fight press conferenceLopez revealed that he is looking to face the winner of next month’s WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.

“September 12th you’ve got Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. We’ll see what happens there, we’ll watch. Obviously Keith Connolly [Lopez’s manager] manages Conor Benn so if he wins it’s a great fight to take across the pond, and I’m rooting for it anyway.”

Lopez also admitted he could be interested in a battle with IBF champion Liam Paro, but explained why he wouldn’t want to take on WBO champion Devin Haney just yet.

“I’d rather wait for Devin at the end, and the only reason why is to reclaim the whole situation with undisputed, not undisputed. We’ll see what Devin does on that end, so it’ll either be Liam Paro next or the winner of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.”

Lopez is referring to when he campaigned at lightweight and insisted he was undisputed champion following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, only for Haney to be recognised as the legitimate WBC titleholder, meaning there is plenty of history between the pair.

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Boxing

Shakur Stevenson Analyzes Rolly Romero After Teofimo Lopezs Victory in World Title Fight

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5 hours ago

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August 23, 2026

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"Shakur Stevenson Analyzes Rolly Romero After Teofimo Lopez's Victory in World Title Fight"

Teofimo Lopez defeated Rolly Romero to win the WBA welterweight title on Saturday and now Shakur Stevenson has shared his reaction.

Lopez appeared to be in control for the majority of the bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though the scorecards had it much closer than people expected, with ‘The Takeover’ only getting the nod by majority decision after scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

Romero did have a successful fifth round where he was able to rock Lopezbut other than that he failed to get any real foothold in the fight, as he lost his WBA crown and Lopez claimed world honours in a third division after previous reigns at 135lbs and 140lbs.

It was back in January when his time as WBO super-lightweight champion came to an end, suffering a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to the aforementioned Stevenson at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Stevenson has now posted on social media with his verdict on the win from ‘The Takeover’, praising his former rival for becoming world champion in his first bout at 147lbs.

“Yea Teofimo 3 division champ that’s 🔥”

Stevenson also paid tribute to Romero, saying he had ‘respect’ for the former champion for taking on anyone.

“Respect to Rolly a champion who will fight anybody Respect champ!!!”

Lopez now may look towards potential unification fights at 147lbs following his victory, with the winner of next month’s WBC title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn a possible option, along with battles against WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

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Boxing

Zab Judahs Final Prediction on Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: The Impact of KOing Sparring Partners

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1 day ago

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August 22, 2026

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Zab Judah's Final Prediction on Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: The Impact of KOing Sparring Partners

Zab Judah has made a bold prediction ahead of tonight’s world title battle between Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez.

Romero defends his WBA welterweight title against Lopez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this evening, competing for the first time since his unanimous decision victory over Ryan Garcia in May 2025.

Lopez is attempting to become a three-division world champion after previously holding world honours at lightweight and super-lightweight, but his reign at 140lbs came to an end in January when he lost his WBO crown to Shakur Stevenson.

One man who knows what it is like to be world champion at both 140lbs and 147lbs is Judah, who notably became undisputed at welterweight back in 2005.

Speaking to MillCity BoxingJudah revealed that he is backing Romero to claim the upset victory tonight and successfully defend his belt against Lopez.

“In the past when we’ve seen Rolly in preparation for a fight, he was always on the internet saying crazy s**t, doing crazy things, this time we don’t see any of that. He’s locked in, he’s training, and I predict that Rolly Romero is going to beat Teofimo Lopez.

“From what I’ve been hearing about him in training, he’s been doing good and knocking people out.”

The winner of tonight’s bout has already been linked to a unification fight against the victor of the upcoming WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, while there are also possible match-ups with WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

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