Riakporhe produced a stunning stoppage victory over British cruiserweight rival Deion Jumah at Wembley Arena on Saturday to maintain his unbeaten record; 32-year-old targets world title shot "towards the end of the year"
Monday 28 March 2022 19:57, UK
Richard Riakporhe has set his sights on a potential world title fight before the end of the year after his stunning victory over Deion Jumah at Wembley Arena.
The 32-year-old extended his unbeaten professional record to 14-0 with an impressive success over his fellow Londoner, flooring Jumah in the fourth round before knocking him out in the eighth.
Riakporhe came into Saturday's showdown knowing defeat could inflict an untimely setback to his world title ambitions, with the success only fuelling his desire to challenge for honours in 2022.
"Me and my team are going to sit down and we're going to see what options are available and then go for the next route," Riakporhe told Sky Sports News. "We definitely want to bring a title back to Great Britain.
"I would say we'll have two more [fights], maybe back in July and then towards the end of the year. I think realistically it's looking like the end of the year could be the potential title shot."
Riakporhe's victory crowned a stunning night of action on the Boxxer card at Wembley Arena, with CEO Ben Shalom - who wants to set him up a clash with WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian - impressed with the Londoner's display
"I am so proud of [Richard]," Shalom told Sky Sports. "When I met him he had been out of the ring for 12, 18 months without opportunities. That was all he needed.
"Richard has so much more to go. He is a young 32-year-old, still learning. He is the real deal and his power showed that."
Jumah - whose defeat to Riakporhe was his first in 15 fights as a professional - rallied after hitting the canvas in the fourth round but his night ended four rounds later after a crunching shot to the gut.
"He [Jumah] wasn't tough, I would say he was more tricky and awkward," Riakporhe added. "He was tough in a way, but I just had to be patient and take my time with him. Because he is a southpaw, they're very skilled at counter punching, so I just had to be really careful when coming in.
He was a very tough, durable opponent. I put him down with a heavy shot and he got back up and showed a lot of heart. It just shows what type of calibre of fighter Deion Jumah is and I've got a lot of respect for him."
