Cruiserweight contender Richard Riakporhe 17-0 (13) believes WBO 200-pound champion Chris Billam-Smith 19-1 (13) will be thankful he wasn’t in the ring against him on Sunday night.
The 33-year-old Billam-Smith successfully defended his belt for the first time when he scored an eighth-round Mateusz Masternak 47-6 (31) at the Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, England.
Masternak didn’t answer the bell for the start of the eighth round, blaming a rib injury for being unable to continue.
But although Billam-Smith won the fight inside the distance, he had his hands full with the 36-year-old Polish veteran and was trailing on two of the judges’ scorecards at the time the bout was halted.
Riakporhe said if the same version of Billam-Smith fought him, he would not hear the final bell.
“The shots he was being hit with by Masternak weren’t heavy shots but you could see it was hurting him,” Riakporhe said to Sky Sports.
“If I land one of those shots, how’s he going to react? How’s he going to react to a jab from me, or a right hand from me or a hook from me? It’s going to be very dangerous.”
He said he found Masternak’s decision to stay on his stool at the end of the seventh round baffling.
“That was quite strange. I’ve never seen Masternak in a situation like that. I didn’t ever imagine that he wasn’t going to get up off his stool. He must have a serious injury,” Riakporhe said.
“He was looking really good in there, Masternak. He was bossing it. He was getting the shots. He was landing the shots and CBS was having a tough time in there. But we knew it was going to be like that.
“He got the win and that’s the most important thing.”
Riakporhe warned Billam-Smith before the Masternak fight that he had a tough opponent in front of him.
“I’ve done a few camps with Mateusz Masternak. I understand his style, I know the way he fights. I know what he’s going to bring,” Riakporhe told Sky Sports.
“He’s definitely a warrior, very tough and I think that fight is going to be a very entertaining fight for the boxing public.
“The styles will definitely gel. Masternak’s a warrior. His dream is to become a world champion.
“I think CBS should do it, but he can’t take his eye off the ball. He has to be on point every single round, switched on.”
The 33-year-old Riakporhe holds a 10-round split decision won over Billam-Smith in London in July 2019. As the WBO number one contender he is awaiting a second chance to once again prove he is the better man in the prize ring.
That shot should come in the new year.
