The heat is rising for promising cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe, but he believes he has found the secret sauce to stay cool under pressure as he battles to keep his world title shot alive.
The 32-year-old has a perfect record as he approaches his 14th fight against fellow unbeaten contender Deion Jumah at Wembley Arena this Saturday night, knowing one slip-up could see his dreams go up in smoke.
But Riakporhe – who is coached by Anthony Joshua’s trainer Angel Fernandez – keeps himself level-headed with a strong focus at the task at hand and a harmonious camp with one main rule – good energy only.
‘There’s a lot at stake for me all the time and I can’t take my mind off the job,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘I surround myself with good people, good energy, good environment. It’s key. If I’m with anyone who doesn’t have good energy, I can’t be around them for too long.
Cruiserweight fighter Richard Riakporhe is seeking a world title shot ahead of his 14th bout
He faces fellow unbeaten British fighter Deion Jumah looking to maintain his perfect record
The 32-year-old insists his opponents ‘crumble’ when he lands his shots right and vowed to inflict ‘pain’ on Jumah this weekend
‘I need to be around hustlers, achievers, go-getters. Once I started doing that when I was young – my life changed.’
Certainly Riakporhe made big strides since boxing gave him a new lease of life away from trouble having battled for his life following a stabbing 17 years ago.
He grew up on the Aylesbury Estate in south London, where he admits to being ‘led astray’ by friends and getting up to trouble – and those experiences have shaped his character and prepared him for the battles ahead, keeping him calm on fight night.
‘The fights I’ve had outside the ring have been tougher than the ones I’ve had inside it,’ he adds.
‘I’ve been fighting my whole entire life. It’s just a fight, it’s not gonna last forever. On fight night I’m relaxed. I just need to go in there and do what I need to do.’
He is predicting an explosive stoppage of Jumah – warning him that every opponent he has ever fought has felt ‘pain’ and ‘crumbled’.
Riakporhe says his rise to the top has been down to having ‘good energy’ in his training camps
‘[The plan is to] inflict as much damage as possible. He’s going to go through a lot of pain on Saturday night.
‘I’ve been blessed with a lot of power. All I’ve got to do is land. When I land a shot, people crumble. My hurt rate is 100 per cent. I’ve hurt all of my opponents.’
Victory offers plenty of possibilities on the horizon, not least a domestic clash against British rival Lawrence Okolie, who currently holds the WBO title – in what would be a seismic world title showdown. Riakporhe more than fancies his chances against him.
‘I’m confident in anyone I fight,’ he says. ‘Everyone has got weaknesses and that’s what makes it so interesting. I’ll fight every single one of them. It’s my destiny to become a unified world champion.’
Surrounding himself with the right people has been at the forefront of Riakporhe’s mentality, and he couldn’t have picked better after spending time in camp with two-time world champion Joshua – with both of them working under new coach Fernandez.
A British world title fight against Lawrence Okolie (R) could be on the cards next year and Riakporhe more than fancies his chances
Joshua is on the comeback trail after his one-sided defeat against Oleksandr Usyk last year – and has finally picked Fernandez as his new lead trainer after embarking on a quest for a new coach.
He met several acclaimed coaches, including Canelo Alvarez’ top trainer Eddy Reynoso and Ronnie Shields – who worked with Mike Tyson. Riakporhe says Joshua is in the perfect hands to prepare him for his Usyk rematch because he now has a ‘dynamic’ coach who is ‘obsessed’ with boxing and lives ‘like a fighter’.
‘AJ has seen a lot of coaches and he’s chosen to work with Angel, which just shows you the type of trainer he is,’ Riakporhe continues. ‘He sees something in him and I see something in him and that’s why he’s his main coach.
‘His style is very unorthodox, he does things differently. A lot of British trainers are not very dynamic. Angel is way more dynamic. He learns from the Russia school of boxing, the Cuban school, the American school and he’s tied that to one style.
‘He doesn’t have ego, he gets on with the job and he’s obssessed with living the life as a true coach and studying the sport of boxing day in, day out. He’s like a fighter himself. You have to choose people like that because they’re serious. If you’re serious about achieving great things then you need to surround yourself with a solid team.’
Riakporhe has been training alongside Anthony Joshua (L) and has learned plenty from him
Both fighters have recently started working with coach Angel Fernandez, and Riakporhe believes his ‘obsession’ will help relaunch Joshua’s career
Joshua was soundly beaten against the Ukrainian and his corner team were given some stern criticism, with Joshua eventually moving away from Rob McCracken as his lead trainer. So, is Fernandez the man to get AJ his belts back against Usyk?
‘Absolutely,’ he replies. ”Angel will showcase what he can do to improve the fight and everybody will see when it comes to the rematch.’
Working with Joshua has been invaluable for Riakporhe, who is soaking up his experience and guidance like a sponge ahead of his bout with Jumah.
Most of all, it’s his dedication to his craft and his burning desire to level up that Riakporhe can relate to most.
‘A lot of people who have achieved half of what he has would have gone missing,’ he said of AJ. ‘They would’ve left the profession behind. He acts like he hasn’t achieved anything. He wants to improve and that’s what you call character, not a lot of people have that. You need it to be a great champion, that’s the ingredients for a beautiful champion.’
He is confident Fernandez (far right) is the right man to help Joshua get revenge against Oleksandr Usyk (R) this year
When Riakporhe isn’t in the gym, you’ll find him watching his beloved Crystal Palace – or these days you might even spot him down at their Beckenham training ground.
He’s forged a strong connection with the club, its players and boss Patrick Vieira, who invited him into his office for a chat about the south London community and what they can do together to help the next generation.
The cruiserweight has set up the Richard Riakporhe Foundation, aimed at educating school children about the dangers of knife crime. He often visits schools and community centres in London to inspire youngsters and steer them clear of trouble.
After his own near-death experience and history of running into trouble, Riakporhe wants to act as a beacon of hope having turned his own life around and risen up the ranks in boxing – and he was delighted by how much support he has been given by the club and Vieira himself.
Riakporhe – an avid Crystal Palace fan – has a great connection with the club and recently had a chat with manager Patrick Vieira about how they can help youngster in south London
‘Patrick is a lovely person – so humble,’ he goes on. ‘He’s so down to earth. He called me into his office, we had a long chat about life growing in south London – him growing up in France. The challenges you face as a black boy.
‘The talent coming out of south London, it’s incredible. He said “anything you need me for, anything you want of me, just let me know – I’ll support you 100 per cent”.
‘He knows about my foundation and that it’s something I’m really passionate about. That’s a beautiful thing. The club don’t need to open the doors to me, invite me to the training ground. They had me there all day eating in the canteen with the players. It’s love and it shows what type of team we are. We support each other and look after our own. It’s a real family.’
Riakporhe has been spotted on the training pitch messing around with players, pretending to spar with them and getting to know them. Like him, Palace are off to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals – and their impressive season under Vieira has seen them all but fight off the threat of relegation.
But Riakporhe insists he hasn’t needed to give the players any ‘fighting talk’ to inspire their revival this term, revealing that their outstanding campaign has been all down to their dedication, something he totally resonates with.
He has been left in awe of Palace’s ‘champion mindset’ and hunger to succeed after their brilliant campaign under Vieira this season
‘I’m just a supporter, they do really well and I have full faith in Patrick to do the job. They’re on it, even after the training session I saw Christian Benteke go to do sprints by himself. I was like “yes, that’s the mindset of a champion.” I could relate.
‘When I was in the gym training when everyone else had packed up and left, I wanted to do some more. My coaches were begging me to go, and that’s what brings results – I know that. That’s what people can’t see, but I see it.’
There have been calls for Riakporhe to channel his inner Tony Bellew and stage a fight at his beloved football team – and he believes a showdown at Selhurst Park is just a matter of time.
‘This year hopefully. We want have a sit down with Steve Parish – he already gave me the go-ahead. Absolutely [I’ll wear Crystal Palace colours], we have to represent hard, get all the Palace fans out, put on a good show and get a win. That would be not just for me, for everybody. I want to be a inspiration for future generations. Things are really possible, just stick with it and keep rolling.’
Riakporhe believes it won’t be long before he fights at Selhurst Park and wants to wear the club’s colours and act as an inspiration for future generations in the area
Being driven is not the only thing that separates Riakporhe from the pack as he bids for super stardom in boxing.
Having grown up a stones throw from Selhurst and followed football for most of his life, why didn’t he pursue a career in boxing over football? In this sport, Riakporhe is responsible for his performances alone and has total control over his success – meaning no one can halt the path he has carved for himself.
‘Boxing is like a team sport but we perform on our own. In football, some people would not show up. In individual sports like boxing or athletics you have no choice but to rely on yourself – it’s like taking control of everything. That worked for me and I liked it.’
Everything is in Riakporhe’s control ahead of a big fight on Saturday, and so far he has played all the right cards.
Richard Riakporhe vs Deion Jumah is live this Saturday night on Sky Sports
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