There has never been a better time to be a British heavyweight.

Below the men who have held versions of world titles, like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, there are a dozen heavyweights in Britain who could all fight each other and make good money in good fights over the next four or five years.

Both Welch and divisional newcomer Riakporhe would argue they are already within that mix but this fight will go a long way to proving their credentials within a bustling domestic scene. British, Commonwealth and European title shots could await the winner while the loser will slide back down to the bottom of the ladder once again.

Welch, son of former world title challenger Scott who is also his trainer, has been grinding hard as a professional since his debut back in 2020 but is yet to make a really meaningful step forward. Of his 16 fights to date, only two of them have been above six rounders and both of those eight-threes fights ended in first-round knockout wins.

So the acid test awaits Welch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where his fellow Brighton native Chris Eubank Jr faces Conor Benn in the main event of "The Ring: Unfinished Business". The 30-year-old ‘Hell Boy’ has been calling out for an opportunity like this so it is now down to him to prove he was worthy all along.

Last fight: Welch secured the 16th win of his career but he did not get the knockout he craved against his tough Czech opponent Vaclav Pejsar (25-22, 20 KOs).

To be fair to Welch, the visitor had not been stopped in the 11 fights before he arrived in Brighton for a spot on the undercard of Harlem Eubank’s victory over Tyrone McKenna on March 7. Welch had it pretty much all his own way throughout, and it looked like target practice at times for the local favourite, who weighed 226 ½ pounds on the night.

In the end, referee Bob Williams gave him all but one of the six rounds, scoring Welch a clear 59-55 winner at the Brighton Centre.

Odds: Despite being the far more experienced heavyweight campaigner in this fight, Welch is priced as long as 10/1 (+1000) with some bookmakers.

How does Welch win? The simple answer is that Welch will have to produce something that nobody has seen him do before in a prize ring to secure a huge upset victory at Tottenham.

Although Welch has been a career heavyweight, while Riakporhe has had just one fight since moving above the 200-pound cruiserweight limit, the chances are that they will be very similar in weight on the night so this will not be a case of enjoying a size advantage.

On the contrary, the shorter, more compact Welch will need to get close to 6ft 5in Riakporhe and hope to land with his trademark hooks over the top and round the body. He and his father work extensively on fine-tuning exactly that and Riakporhe will almost certainly look to keep it long where he is most comfortable.

Riakporhe is also most dangerous when he has a big target in front of him that does not move much, so Welch will have to keep bobbing and weaving as he tries to close the gap. He will then give himself the chance to drive Riakporhe back to the ropes where he'll attempt to land with a savage hook that can close and change his life.

What does it mean if Welch wins? After admitting that he has struggled for opportunities in the heavyweight wilderness over the last few years, an upset victory over a big name like Riakporhe will immediately fire him into the conversation for some even bigger domestic fights where titles will be at stake.

He has bounced around on different promoter shows and boxed on a variety of different networks but a win on this platform would make him the sort of heavyweight commodity that may secure him a long-term promotional deal.

What they’re saying: “We’ve stayed in the shadows really but now we are ready to step out of the dark into the light. This has been a long, hard camp where I have been locked in on one man, one face and now I’m excited to show the world who we are.

“Riakporhe is the perfect opponent for us to do that against. He's got the name, he's got the fame, but the question is, is he still game?” - Tommy Welch talking to The Ring.

TV/Stream: DAZN PPV; $59.99 in the U.S. (11.30 a.m. ET); £24.99 in the UK (4.30 p.m. GMT).