McGuigan: Opetaia a dream fight
Some interesting comments came out in the post-fight press conference…
Billam-Smith: “Richard is an amazing fighter and can punch, you wouldn’t want to have a Terminator fight with someone like that, me and Shane (McGuigan) had a 30 minute chat in the hotel room so I knew what I had to do, I had been drilled in the changing room so all credit to him.”
Shane McGuigan said on what’s next: “The challenges are the most important, Okolie and Riakporhe are the clear favourites, but he works. We want Zurdo or Noel, then Opetaia early next summer – that’s the dream fight.”
Ben Shalom: “Chris played great tonight, he should never be underestimated… Fifth fight and all the high-level wins with us, where does the journey go? He’s getting better, I’ve never seen him in such good shape and mentally so prepared – keeping a dangerous fighter from fading for 12 rounds.”
What will happen next?
Ben Shalom has co-signed the unification deal against Zurdo, while it will be interesting to see what Riakporé’s next move will be after falling behind here.
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is a fight between ‘two losers’, says former champion, Battle of Britain delayed againWhen asked for his thoughts by CBS he said: “I thought it was 8-4 (scorecard) at worst, very comfortable and he caught me once. He’s a great fighter but at this level he needs more experience, he’ll come back.”
Some in the boxing world have suggested this week that Riakporhe could struggle to make it at this weight class and, if that is the case, perhaps a move up to bridgerweight would be advisable – with local rival Lawrence Okolie still an option.
Meanwhile, CBS will likely rest easy for the next month or two before assessing its options in a division that still lacks a true number one.
CBS: Career best performance? “I think so”
During a post-fight interview with Sky in the ring, Billam-Smith spoke at length about his team – he praised Shane McGuigan and the rest of his coaches – as well as his own performance.
What is the biggest difference between him and Riakporé?
“My experience, speed, gameplan. Shane is a master, the best coach in the world,” he said before insisting he wants a unification with WBA world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next Stateside. Revenge is sweet.
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