In an early morning cruiserweight title bout, reigning WBO champion Chris Billam Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) successfully defended his crown against fellow Brit Richard Riakporhe (17-1, 13 KOs), winning a 12-round unanimous decision in their highly anticipated rematch.
The fight served as a second encounter between the two. In July 2019, Riakporhe had defeated Smith by a majority decision, which remains the only blemish on Smith’s professional record.
The match took place at Crystal Palace in London, on Riakporhe’s home turf. Despite Riakporhe’s power, Smith displayed superior speed and better control of the pace, consistently scoring points. In the 12th round, Riakporhe was penalized a point for repeated headbutts against Smith. The contest went the full 12 rounds, with all three judges scoring the bout in favor of Smith: 116-111, 115-112, and 115-112.
With the victory, the 33-year-old Billam Smith improves his professional record to 20 wins and one loss, with 13 of those wins coming by way of knockout. He is now ranked second in the BOXREC-200-pound division, trailing only current WBA super cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs).
Smith Retains Title in Rematch Against Ritson. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/boxing-zone/7679.html
