“That’s Why He Lost”: Madonna Dragged In as Boxing World Blame Her for Richard Riakporhe’s Lackluster Performance Against Chris Billiam-Smith

When the two boxers crossed paths in 2019, it was Richard Riakporhe who stood tall and halted Chris Billam-Smith‘s juggernaut at the O2 Arena in London. It was the latter’s first loss and remained so as he surged through the ranks and even retained the WBO Cruiserweight title. Almost 5 years down the line, when a revenge match came calling, Chris Billam-Smith didn’t shy away from rising to the occasion. Despite ‘CBS’s most dominating performance to date, the fans found another reason behind Richard Riakporhe’s failure to rise to the occasion.

Notably, Billam-Smith, 33, defended his WBO strap for a second time after winning it last year and earning his revenge over Riakporhe. He produced a well-rounded performance and swept the judges’ scorecards as they read 116-111 and 115-112 (x2).

Chris Billam-Smith shuts down Richard Riakporhe

It was a contest of Billam-Smith’s consistency and Riakporhe’s power punching. Apart from the first round, ‘The Midnight Train’ failed to find his mark at Selhurst Park and couldn’t unload those heavy punches of his own until the championship rounds. While he landed the bigger shots, those didn’t come in clusters. On the other hand, Billam-Smith’s consistent intensity and volume punching helped him edge out his former foe.

With this win, ‘The Gentleman’ improved to 20-1 and now sees himself walking down the unification route. He eyes a fight with either IBF title holder Jai Opetaia or Gilberto Ramirez, who has the WBA strap. A loss leaves Riakporhe in a tight spot. However, the fans found a reason for his loss, and guess what? According to them, it was Madonna’s fault.

The two met after modeling for Burberry, and a picture of them cozying up broke the internet recently. However, in a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Riakporhe clarified, “I’m not dating Madonna. She is a friend of mine.” However, the fans didn’t buy the statement.

Fans found an unlikely scapegoat in Madonna

A fan, replying to the viral picture of Madonna and Riakporhe, placed the blame on the American singer. They wrote, “That’s the reason he lost tonight then.” But Riakporhe had told the Sun the story of the picture and declared, “It was just a party. That picture happened a while ago.”

Similarly, someone also took Riakporhe’s side and detailed that the photo dates back 3–4 years ago, not recently. So, the American artist couldn’t have influenced the 34-year-old boxer’s game, as alleged by some.

Despite this, a comment still painted the blame on Madonna, as it read, “That’s why he lost.”

A user blasted the referee’s performance in the fight as Riakporhe was docked a point for using the head in a clinch. They said, “These boxing refs are getting worse and worse.”

Lastly, a comment reflected on Riakporhe’s career. Notably, the British boxer had a late start to his boxing career at 19 and went on to become the British cruiserweight champion. He was also on an undefeated run before this fight. The comment read, “Good effort by Riakpore starting boxing age 19, done alright for himself.”

What do you make of this exciting fight between Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe? Who do you think the WBO champion should fight next for unification? Let us know in the comments below.