Four months removed from a 8th-round stoppage win over Padraig McCrory in what Eddie Hearn deemed a loser-leaves-town matchup, Craig Richards patiently awaits fight news once more.

The 35-year-old Londoner, who challenged Dmitry Bivol for the WBA world light heavyweight title in May 2021, has suffered a pair of 12-round decision defeats against two of The Ring's top-10 ranked operators in Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson since.

Many felt retirement was a very real possibility for 'Spider' after being outfoxed and soundly beaten by a sizeable pre-fight underdog in the brash-talking Scotsman during the Queensberry-Matchroom 5v5 card on Saudi shores in June 2024.

Nine months later, he asserted his dominance over McCrory early en route to a morale-boosting finish inside the distance on away soil in Belfast with chief support billing preceding a controversial Lewis Crocker-Paddy Donovan main event that night.

Since then, more moving parts have shuffled across the 175-pound division both domestically and on the world scene as he waits to see where he fits. Brad Rea won EBU honours with a gritty 12-round decision over Richards' former foe Shakan Pitters, after character-building victories for Ben Whittaker and Ezra Taylor in April and May respectively.

David Benavidez's first title defence as WBC world champion in a new division will come against Anthony Yarde as confirmed last week, while British titleholder Lewis Edmondson has a golden opportunity to produce a standout showing against WBA's No. 8-rated contender Daniel Lapin on the Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois II undercard next weekend.

Armed with a new trainer in Shane McGuigan, Hutchinson has recently stressed a desire to make up for lost time after a serious left shoulder injury ruled him out of a proposed Zach Parker showdown, while former interim WBO world champion Buatsi told The Ring of a need to tighten things up before returning against world-level opposition later this year.

Callum Smith, the man who seized Buatsi's unbeaten record after a gruelling 12-round battle garnered early shouts for 2025's Fight of the Year shortlist on February 22, had been vocal about a Benavidez showdown.

Although the Liverpudlian now manages himself and was reportedly unsatisfied with the financial package being offered to him, Yarde gladly took it instead as a third world title shot beckons. Now, Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn named a list of possibilities in conversation with BoxingScene and Richards was one of the options in a stay-busy situation.

"You've got our guy Conor Wallace, but he could fight Michael Eifert for the IBF world title. Craig Richards is floating around looking for a big fight, Khalil Coe coming off a big fight, Parker with Queensberry as well. So yeah, looking at someone from the top-15 while you wait to see what happens with the Bivol-Beterbiev situation."

Bivol, who already relinquished the WBC strap earlier this year, could likely do the same with the IBF after they ordered him to face little-known mandatory challenger Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs). He's instead pursuing a trilogy against Beterbiev in Russia, though there's no timeline for that rubber match with the pair tied at one win apiece.

New Jersey's Coe (10-1-1, 8 KOs), who avenged a surprise 9th-round knockout defeat by Manuel Gallegos with a 6th-round knockout of his own in their immediate rematch on May 30, doubled down on a long-held desire to face British contenders Buatsi and Richards.

When asked for an update on Richards, his trainer Tony Sims told The Ring they're still waiting for a date.

"We're trying to finalise something. He doesn't want a regular fight now and neither do they, it'll be a big fight for Craig - whoever the opponent is - so now we're just waiting to hear."

Currently unranked by the four major sanctioning bodies, it remains to be seen if any top names would agree to fight him.