Richard Riakporhe knows he stands on the verge of something very special this weekend.
In front of 20,000 fans at Selhurst Park – the home of his beloved Crystal Palace – the south London cruiserweight will get his shot at WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Five years after their first meeting, which Riakporhe, 34, won via split decision, the pair come face to face once more, only this time there is a world title on the line.
But this all seemed so far away when Riakporhe was growing up. At 15, it was almost all over.
The then-teenager was stabbed outside a nightclub and required emergency surgery. There was no guarantee that he’d make, but thankfully he did.
Richard Riakporhe (pictured) will get his shot at world title glory on Saturday night
He will face Chris Billam-Smith for a second time, but he could never have dreamed of headlining at Selhurst Park during his younger days
Riakporhe was stabbed at 15 but pulled through and has now changed his life completely
Now he is the main event with a world title on the line at the home of the football club he loves
Looking back at that stage of his life, just hours before the biggest fight of his career, Riakporhe admits he had little hope of becoming the star he is today.
‘At that point, no,’ Riakporhe tells Mail Sport when asked if he could have dreamed of being in his current position. ‘I actually probably thought I’d end up dead before my 30s, unfortunately.
That is how tough it is growing up in that type of area. I thought if I was a good guy, a good kid and I’m getting stabbed, and I had to fight for my life literally, how can I survive this situation?
‘A lot of things had to change. I had to come up with a plan to change my life. I had np support, just the will and determination to succeed in life and now we’re here. I’ve become a reference.
‘I don’t think I’m special in that sense, but I persevered and I’ve got strong determination.’
At the time of his stabbing, Riakporhe had not seen the inside of a boxing gym.
He did not turn to the sport until 19, and had no idea where boxing would take him. To say his ambitions were limited would be an understatement.
‘I just wanted to know how to fight, that’s all,’ Riakporhe reveals.
‘I didn’t have any ambitions of being a champion or anything like that. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know anything about boxing. I didn’t even know that they competed at an amateur level. I had no clue. I didn’t even know if I was able to go and do it, if I was good enough.’
Yet despite moving into a sport that he really knew nothing about, little by little it all started to come together.
Riakporhe admits he knew nothing about boxing when he first entered the gym
But after getting more and more wins under his belt, he decided to pursue a career in the sport
In 2015, fresh off earning a degree in marketing communications and advertising from Kingston University, he made up his mind to pursue a career in boxing.
‘After a while, when I started winning fights, when I started to understand how good I am, that’s when it changed,’ Riakporhe explains.
‘That’s when I realised I actually possess a talent so let me exercise it, let me see how far I can really go with this. And it’s only after I graduated from uni, that’s when I said “you know what? I’m going to go professional”.
‘Because this is what I like to do, this is my passion and I think I can make it.’
Riakporhe made his professional debut at 26, and it didn’t take long for him to start making a name for himself as he won eight of his first nine fights via knockout.
Then came his acid test against Billam-Smith, and he passed it. In truth, both men emerged from the contest with credit, having taken a risk at an early stage in their careers and taken heavy punches from one another to see the final bell.
But it was Riakporhe who got his hand raised, and he insists that will count in his favour on Saturday night.
‘I’d definitely say there’s a psychological edge because I fought him, he wasn’t with a different trainer, he was with the same trainer, they had a gameplan for me and I still prevailed against the odds,’ Riakporhe says.
‘It was a 50/50 fight, I had nine fight and eight KOs, he had nine fights and eight KOs, and I still prevailed. It’s given me more confidence and belief in myself.
‘I’m much better now. I know my way around the ring, I know there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and I’m ready.’
Riakporhe beat Billam-Smith in 2019, and feels that gives him a psychological advantage
This time, Riakporhe expects to win by knockout, as he has done in 13 of his 17 fights to date
Riakporhe has no issue admitting Billam-Smith has ‘definitely improved’ as well. He knows it won’t be easy to wrestle the belt from his domestic foe.
But he is brimming with confidence, and ready to seize his opportunity.
As the interview concludes, he makes his final prediction for the fight: ‘Richard Riakporhe, KO.’
Pushed further for a round, Riakporhe adds with a twinkle in his eye: ‘It all depends on what round he gives me the opportunity in.’
Riakporhe has already been through the fight of his life outside of the ring. If he can deliver inside those ropes on Saturday night, his incredible journey will be complete.
