Richard Riakporhe vs. Jack Massey & Luthando Nqobile Mtimkulu vs. Frederick Gleluo Kiwitt RBR

...and here we are, heading into round ten...

 

Kieron "Too Class" Conway seems to feel confident he's edged the Dubliner. From what I saw, that's well founded confidence.

 

Scored by referee Lee Cook, 97-94 for the Northampton man.

Spoiler

here's a far better stream btw:
http://************.com/boxingstreams/watch-dazn-riakporhe-vs-massey/

 

Craig Richards vs. Chad Sugden, 8 rounds @ light heavyweight

 

"2 Slick" Chad Sugden is a crossover from kickboxing, largely unproven in this sport (and with an early pro loss to losing-record journeyman Alistair Warren in 2016) but had an upset victory over Luke Blackledge in July.

Craig "Spider" Richards is having an excellent year, posting consecutive victories over Jake Ball and previously unbeaten Andre Sterling. His only defeat was to Frank Buglioni, on points over twelve in 2017.

 

Round 1

Sugden is working the body well, plowing in behind a love-tap high jab, but Richards is using his long arms to mostly protect a long swath from his waist to chin, and using nice twisting upper body movement to slip & counter.

10-9 Richards

 

Spider beginning to dominate now, soaking up on the arms or weaving through all of Sugden's best combinations, then drubbing him with fluid rights down the pipe and compact left hooks upside the noggin. Sugden's relative lack of experience (and late notice replacement status) becoming a factor, as Richards is able to find him from angles he isn't even prepared to look for.

20-18 Richards

 

Provided no unexpected reversals of fortune here, Spider Richards is slated to challenge undefeated Shakan "The Shah" Pitters early in the new year for the BBBofC English 175lb title. They have already engaged in a war of words on social media.

 

Sugden keeps rallying gamely for short periods late in the rounds, and his background in kickboxing gives him what the commentator terms "herky-jerky awkwardness", but he's thoroughly outmatched here and cannot sustain any momentum for long.

30-27 Richards

 

Fourth closer for Sugden, but still no cigar. Most of his body shots are flipped away on Richards' elbows, and he isn't having as much luck on his end defensively when Richards goes pecking at him with jabs and long rights.

40-36 Richards

 

The commentator has Richards up only by a single point, giving the 1st level 10-10 and Sugden the fourth.

Eh. Bit overly generous to Chad on both counts, IMO.

 

The 5th was the best for the Newark-on-Trent man, by far, might have shaded it as Richards took a frame off, relatively speaking, despite probably still landing the stronger cleaner blows (yet with a marked reduction in volume) but in the sixth their energy levels spike the opposite ways, Richards coming on as Sugden fades, and Richards might be on the verge of a stoppage.

10-9 Sugden, 10-9 Richards (dominant until the final twenty seconds when Sugden anchored himself and rallied back with some combos), 59-55 Richards.

 

Sugden remaining in a perhaps ill-advised Philly shell while belting right hands up into the chin, mostly not getting there, but setting table for his shoeshines on the body, which do connect. Richards is slipping at mid-range with a shimmy-shake and piercing the face of Sugden with his jabs and short rights. BIG line drive right by Sugden as they exchange in the middle of the ring, shaking Richards slightly, but Richards instantly recovers and whips Sugden around the ring with a series of quick left hooks into the side of the head and one starchy uppercut.

Best shot of the round by Sugden, but still 10-9 Richards when viewing the whole three minutes together.

69-64 Richards

 

Chad's a toughie, for certain.