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UK Boxing

Chris Billam-Smith vs. Richard Riakporhe 2 – results and post-fight report

Published

7 months ago

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Riakporhe had no answer for Billam-Smith (Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)

Billam-Smith defended his WBO world title against Riakporhe (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Billam-Smith defended his WBO title against Riakporhe (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)

Chris Billam-Smith defended his WBO cruiserweight title for a second time, exacting revenge on Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park with a comfortable victory on the scorecards.

The pair met in July 2019, when Riakporhe (17-1, 13 KO) scored a seventh-round knockout at the O2 Arena in London, en route to a split decision after ten rounds, and have since gone their separate ways. Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KO) became world champion last May with a majority decision victory over Lawrence Okolie before forcing Mateusz Masternak to withdraw from the fight after eight rounds in his first defense last December. Riakporhe steadily climbed to the world level and had a five-fight knockout streak.

After a lively and technical first three rounds, it was mostly a fight of punches, but when one of them had success, it was quickly stifled by the holding of the other.

Billam-Smith was getting better at the action and his attacks were more successful than the challenger’s at mid-range, but eventually the pair opened up in the eighth and Riakporhe landed a solid right hand, but again it was the champion who had the last word.

Riakporhe came on forceful in round nine, smashing Billam-Smith’s rubber shield with a powerful right hand, but he was unable to sustain the success and Billam-Smith remained slippery and struck first in the championship rounds.

Riakporhe had no answer for Billam-Smith (Photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Riakporhe had no answer for Billam-Smith (Photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)

Riakporhe was deducted a point for illegal exploit of the head in the final round and that was the final nail in the coffin for him as Billam-Smith defended the belt with two scores of 115-112 and a third of 116-111.

Whittaker gained some distance
The showman, i.e. Ben Whittaker (8-0, 5 KO) won his first professional title, the vacant IBF International featherlight heavyweight belt, with a crushing points victory over Eworitse Arenyeka (12-1, 10 KO). Whittaker went through the motions and went ten rounds for the first time, beating the winner by scores of 100-89 and 99-90 (twice).
Whittaker turned out to be far too good for Ezra (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Whittaker turned out to be far too good for Ezra (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Massey dethrones Chamberlain

In a thrilling clash, Jack Massey became the recent Commonwealth and European cruiserweight champion after beating Isaac Chamberlain on points.

Massey (22-2, 12 KO) got off to a good start, but Chamberlain (16-3, 8 KO) took up the challenge after halfway through what promised to be a tight contest. Both men were tired throughout the stretch and it was a war of attrition, but Massey won by one score of 116-112 and two scores of 115-113.

Massey and Chamberlain delivered the cracker (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Massey and Chamberlain delivered the cracker (photo: Lawrence Lustig, Boxxer)
Azeez was forced to settle for a draw

Dan Azeez (20-1-1, 13 KO) was on his way to a comeback after losing to Joshua Buatsi in his last fight, but suffered another setback when he dropped to an eight-round featherlight heavyweight draw against Hrvoje Sep ( 12-2-1 , 9 KOs). The referee scored the fight 76:76.

Full undercard summary

Fran Hennessey (4-0, 1 KO) went eight rounds for the first time as a professional, but she was unable to cope in the bantamweight fight with Dorota Norek (7-5, 1 KO). The bantamweight champion won 77-75.

Former contender for the English middleweight title, Mitchell Frearson (11-1-1, 1 KO) went four rounds and won on points against Marco Simmonds (2-2, 0 KO) and cruiserweight hope Deevorn Miller (8-1, 6 ) KO) stopped Edwin Mosquera (12-5-2, 6 KO) during the round.

Potential heavyweight contender Lewie Pochetty (2-0, 2 KO) needed less than a round to knock out Tobi Vermeire (0-3-1).

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UK Boxing

Jake Paul’s body language speaks volumes when he comes face to face with Conor McGregor

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16 hours ago

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January 20, 2025

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Jake Paul seemed noticeably disinterested as he and his older brother Logan were on the same bus as their fierce rival, former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor.

The three were connected on Monday before Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington. The 78-year-old is scheduled to be sworn in today as the 47th president of the United States, eight years after he first took the oath of office.

Due to the presence of many stars at this historic event, emotions are still growing. However, fans were stunned when McGregor was seen posing next to the Paul brothers and riding in the same vehicle. Both Jake and his older brother Logan were accompanied to the ceremony by their mother, Pam Stepnick.

In a post sent to X – formerly known as Twitter – ‘The Problem Child’ shocked the combat sports community after posting a photo of the Irishman sitting behind him and his brother. Jake captioned the photo: “Inauguration going great.” One user responded to the snapshot: “I never thought I’d see a photo like this, with all the beef over the years,” while another wrote: “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

Despite the ongoing feud between brothers Paul and McGregor, it seems like “The Problem Child” wasn’t too concerned about being in the same distance as the UFC legend.

The photo surfaced shortly after Jake decided to take a swipe at McGregor online and posted: “Now it all makes sense why Conor Mcgregor and his management team were desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate a fight between us. As we’ve told them privately and now I’m saying it publicly… the only way we’re willing to compare me to Conor in a professional boxing/MMA fight is if Dana White/UFC are directly at the table or make it clear that everything ok with the discussions. Conor needs Logan if he wants.

Despite Paul’s choice of words, it seems the Irishman is more focused on his older brother Logan. Last month, it was reported that McGregor was negotiating to fight Paul’s older sibling. On the way to I have made preliminary arrangements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul at a boxing event in India. I have agreed, and then I will try to return to the octagon.”

Even though “The Maverick” recently joined WWE, the tempting offer of going toe-to-toe with McGregor might just lure him back to the boxing ring. The 29-year-old directly approached Ari Emanuel, the head of Endeavor, owner of the UFC and WWE, for a chance to face “The Notorious”. In a video uploaded to YouTube, “The Maverick” and Emanuel can be seen warmly hugging and shaking hands before saying, “Ari, I need one favor from you,” to which the Endeavor boss replied, “Yes.” Paul made the following request: “I want you to give me the green featherlight to fight Conor.” There was a shared laugh and they both said “seriously.”

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UK Boxing

“Anthony Joshua is finished and I would love to withdraw him,” says his rival

Published

20 hours ago

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January 20, 2025

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Whyte wants to run it back with Joshua Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

UK Boxing

Anthony Taylor collapsed minutes after Darren Till KO and viewers were left terrified

Published

2 days ago

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January 19, 2025

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There were disturbing scenes during the last Misfits Boxing gala in Manchester on Saturday evening when Anthony Taylor collapsed after being stopped by fellow MMA fighter Darren Till.

The American took up the fight shortly after Tommy Fury withdrew, but he was no match for Till, who dominated from the very beginning.

In his first boxing fight, the Liverpudlian looked outstanding from the bell, displaying impressive hand speed and having no trouble countering Taylor’s aggressive approach.

Threatening to KO from the start, Till secured a stoppage in the sixth round.

But what happened next shocked those who watched the event. Taylor, who entered the fight with a 7-4 boxing record, broke down in post-fight interviews. He was later taken away from the Co-Op Arena in a wheelchair.

Many assumed that Taylor was then taken to the hospital for tests. However, according to Ariel Helwani, after being given oxygen and found to be stable, he was allowed to return to his accommodation.

Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor later confirmed that Taylor had regained consciousness. He also said Taylor did not need a hospital visit because he was “conscious and well” when he entered the locker room.

He later posted a video on social media in which he spoke clearly and promised to bounce back from the shocking defeat. “It’s OK, I took the L (loss) like a motherfucker,” he said.

“I’ll be back. I’m fine. Thank you all for your love and support, thank you to everyone who makes fun of me too. I don’t give a damn. I deserve it. But at the end of the day, I’ll fucking come back.”

“Pretty Boy,” who has a professional MMA record of 7-5 but has not fought since August 2019, also took aim at Fury. WX wrote, “Now we know why Tommy Fury backed out,” along with two laughing emojis.

The Misfits Boxing 20 main event was only organized after the Manchester fighter withdrew. The younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson stated that he was not content with Till’s claim that he would resort to “MMA tactics” if he lost the fight.

Do later denied that he wasn’t stern when giving the warning, saying it was simply a marketing tactic. It wasn’t until December 29 that it was confirmed that Taylor had stepped in as a replacement.

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