Richard Riakporhe climbed to the very top of the cruiserweight tree but never got his hands on the world title he craved.

His final fight at 200 pounds came against the WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith, a man he had already beaten, but he was unable to repeat the trick. Instead CBS won a unanimous decision at Selhurst Park in June 2024 and that was enough to convince Riakporhe to seek pastures new.

Always very big for cruiserweight, Riakporhe (18-1, 14 KOs) would often go days without eating in order to make the weight so a move north to heavyweight was always appealing. He made his debut there on the Riyadh Season card headlined by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s victory over William Scull in May and marked it with a stoppage victory.

Now six months on, the 35-year-old goes again at his new weight in a domestic clash with Tommy Welch (16-0, 9 KOs) which came out of leftfield for many people. What is certain is that a defeat to the Brighton underdog might just end his hopes of ever fighting for the world heavyweight crown before they have even got started.

Now working with new trainer Billy Nelson, there is pressure on the odds-on favourite to perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where we will find out much about his world title credentials.

Last fight: After losing in that attempt at Billam-Smith’s WBO cruiserweight title, Riakporhe made his move up to heavyweight. His debut at the weight was against Kevin Espindola (9-9, 4 KOs) at ANB Arena, Riyadh on May 3.

Riakporhe, who packed on 35 pounds of weight for his first fight at the new weight, boxed well against the Argentine and dropped him in the fourth. At the end of the round, he was pulled out by his corner handing Riakporhe a stoppage victory. It was scheduled for eight.

Odds: Riakporhe has been made an overwhelming favourite with all bookmakers. Most have him priced at 1/16 (-1600) but some him as long as 1/20 (-2000).

How does Riakporhe win: Welch has never faced a man of Riakporhe's calibre in his life so it will be up to the Londoner to show his class. He is very adept at catching and countering, as he showed when dropping Deion Jumah in the fourth round of their 2022 fight and Welch could be open to this when he attempts to land with hooks.

Riakporhe is also a well-drilled, tidy boxer with long levers who punches very hard, especially given his new body weight. If he punches with Welch it is likely he will be able to find the target straight down the pipe before his opponent can get to him. If he does get Welch in trouble, one of Riakporhe's favourite combinations is the right uppercut, left hook to the body so expect him to fashion himself an opening to land that.

What does it mean if Riakporhe wins? Put simply, that Riakporhe is a credible addition to the stacked domestic heavyweight scene. He has already been linked with a number of other British heavyweights and an explosive victory over Welch will open the door to even bigger and better fights. Fabio Wardley has shown you are only a couple of wins away from the very top of the division and a victory here will set up a decisive 2026 for Riakporhe.

What they're saying: "I'm there to do a job, got my ambitions at this new weight and know what I want to do and accomplish, it's big things. I don't know what Tommy has in mind but I'm trying to go to the very top by knocking these guys out," Richard Riakporhe when speaking to The Ring.

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