Richard Riakporhe scored the biggest win of his career so far, steamrollering former two-time world champion Krzysztof Głowacki in four rounds. While the ex-WBO king’s best days are behind him at 36, his world ranking makes this an impressive scalp for Riakporhe.
The first was a feeling out round, with Glowacki looking a little off balance. Riakporhe landed a solid right in an otherwise uneventful stanza. The second saw a crisp parry and a right hand from the Brit. But the fight-turning moment came when a huge right bent Glowacki’s knees. The Pole stalled for time but looked wobbly when Richard repeated the trick with another cruncher of a shot.
Riakporhe was patient in the third, not trying to force the stoppage. There was no wasted motion as he stalked his experienced foe, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. That moment arrived in the following session. A body shot opened the door to a big right up top. As Glowacki staggered into the ropes, Riakporhe unloaded with both fists. It was a vicious assault that the referee stopped at just the right moment. Riakporhe moves to 16-0 with 12 knockouts and world titles in his sights.
It was a fight of two halves as Ekow Essuman and Chris Kongo clashed for the former’s British and Commonwealth welterweight titles. The challenger racked up an early lead which was reduced by the ascendant champion until Essuman walked out a majority decision winner. Kongo had never been the twelve round distance before and his inexperience over the distance showed as he allowed this fight to ebb away from him.
Essuman staggered his man with a body shot in the opening round before Kongo came back with an overhand right and an uppercut. ‘2Slick’ used his superior height and reach better for much of the first half. The double jab was a constant weapon, as was a raking uppercut that kept Essuman honest.
The turning point seemed to arrive in the sixth round when Kongo was warned for holding on the inside. This gave the champion confidence to work up close more often and he took advantage. A big right hook in the ninth round hurt Kongo and ‘The Engine’ went looking for the finish over the championship rounds. It didn’t arrive but, as Kongo faded, these hard-hitting efforts ended up winning Essuman the fight. The scores of 116-113, 115-114 and 114-114 told the take of a close, nip and tuck affair.
Nobody can accuse Jack Massey of lacking bravery. The former British cruiserweight title challenger took a big leap in weight and a bigger jump in class to face former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. The unanimous decision in Parker’s favour doesn’t tell the whole story as Massey fought with fortitude and intelligence throughout.
The New Zealander opened up with double left hooks in the opener as he looked to cut the ring off. A solid right hand from ‘One Smack’ Jack suggested he wasn’t just here to take part though. The former cruiserweight eased into the bout in the second and third, though he still looked second best as Parker worked well behind his jab.
Big right hooks in sessions four and five swung matters firmly in Parker’s direction. A slick counter right in the sixth and some flashy hand speed in rounds seven and eight saw Massey make some headway on the scorecards. Parker closed out the show though, putting an exclamation mark on his night with a huge uppercut in the tenth which cut his opponent’s eye. Scores of 96-93, 97-92 and 97-93 saw the world-ranked heavyweight get back in the win column after losing to Joe Joyce last September.
Novice heavyweights were on the menu early, as Matty Harris and Frazer Clarke looked to extend their unbeaten runs. Harris moved to 4-0 by walloping Jiri Surmaj, securing his third consecutive first-round stoppage. ‘Big Fraze’ ground down Kevin Espindola, who had taken Solomon Dacres and Ivan Dychko the distance, in four rounds. There will be sterner tests ahead for both men, but on this night they ticked all the boxes to secure the stoppages.
Photos: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer
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