By Ian S Palmer
There’s good some cruiserweight action this weekend as former world champion Krzysztof Glowacki of Poland travels to Manchester, England to take on unbeaten Richard Riakporhe of London. This weekend’s 10-round tilt can be seen live on DAZN in most nations while those in the UK can catch it on Sky Sports Box Office on the undercard of the Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith bout. Riakporhe’s last bout came in June when he stopped Fabio Turchi in the second round. Glowacki last boxed in April when he halted Francisco Ruiz in the fourth frame.
The 36-year-old Glowacki is a southpaw who carries a record of 32-3 with 20 Ko’s. He first won the WBO Cruiserweight crown by getting up from the canvas to stop former champion Marco Huck in the 11th round in August of 2015 in a highly-entertaining slugfest. He defended the belt in April 2016 when he beat former two-time cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham by unanimous decision. However, he lost the strap in his second defence when Oleksandr Usyk beat him by unanimous decision in September, 2016.
Glowacki regained the interim belt in November, 2018 with a unanimous decision over Maxim Vlasov before losing it to Mairis Briedis via a third-round TKO. That controversial fight was the semifinal of the World Boxing Super Series and was also for the vacant WBC Cruiserweight Crown. It was stopped shortly after Briedis had a point deducted for elbowing Glowacki in the head. After a fine amateur career Glowacki turned pro in 2008 and has boxed 203 rounds since.
He has plenty of experience by fighting the likes of Briedis, Huck, Cunningham and Usyk. He’s also beaten the likes of Nuri Seferi, Matty Askin and Thierry Karl. His third defeat came at the hands of Lawrence Okolie in a shot at the vacant WBO Title in March 2021 when he was stopped in the sixth round. Glowacki stands 6-feet tall with a 75-inch and has decent power with a current knockout ratio of 57.1 per cent. He’s mostly been fighting exclusively in Europe against European opposition but his power and decent chin make him a fan-friendly boxer to watch.
The 33-year-old Riakporhe enters the ring with a perfect mark of 15-0 with 11 Ko’s and has boxed 71 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016. Riakporhe didn’t take up the sport until he was 19 years old but he captured the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Cruiserweight Belt in his eighth pro fight by stopping Sam Hyde in the eighth round. He defended it against Tommy McCarthy by fourth-round stoppage and Chris Billam-Smith via a 10-round split decision.
Riakporhe added the vacant British Cruiserweight Title in December, 2019 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jack Massey. He’s fought exclusively in England against European level competition and will be taking a step up in class this weekend. He has the size to do it though as Riakporhe stands 6-feet-5-inches tall with a 77-inch reach, which gives him a five-inch edge in height on Glowacki and two inches in reach. He also has quite a bit of power with a current knockout ratio of 73.3 per cent.
Prediction…
Glowacki is naturally aggressive but he’s giving up five inches in height and although he’s just three years older than Riakporhe, he’s been through a few wars. Still, if he’s in shape, focused and lets his hands go, he can give Riakporhe a bit of a workout. He’ll also need to work his way inside and hope his chin holds out. Riakporhe’s expected to win this fight but he shouldn’t underestimate Glowacki’s experience, power and heart. I’m still going with Riakporhe though.
I like Riakporhe’s chances due to his size and power.
