Tonight in London, it was not a repeat win but revenge when defending WBO cruiserweight champion Chris “Biram” Smith defeated Richard Liakporhe by 12-round decision to defend his belt.
Five years after their last clash, Liakporhe showed just how much Biram-Smith had grown as a fighter by winning by decision, 116-111, 115-112, 115-112 for Biram-Smith, who improved to 20-1 (13). Liakporhe was confident he could get a knockout this time, but he suffered his first professional loss and dropped to 17-1 (13).
Tonight's fight was not a fan-friendly one. In fact, it was ugly at times – full of holding, punches and rough movement. Riakporhe occasionally won the fight with a big right, but Billam Smith is a durable and tenacious fighter. The defending champion was busier and Riakporhe could do very little.
The referee worked hard tonight, separating the two fighters and issuing warnings for rough play and holding. In the end, Riakporhe was deducted a point in the 12th round for using his head too much. The deducted point didn't make much difference in the end, as Billam Smith got the point.
Tonight's fight was expected to be pretty intense, with some people favorably calling it a “fierce chess match,” but it ended up being boring, hard to watch, and downright forgettable. But the good news for Billam Smith is that he's proven he can really withstand change. He's thriving as a world champion, and there are some big fights coming up for the current WBO champion, especially potential unification bouts with other 200-pound champions like Jai Opetai, Gilberto Ramirez, and Noel Michaelian.
Then again, Billam-Smith isn't the most exciting fighter – Liakporhe is half to blame for tonight's shoddy performance – but the 33-year-old from Epsom looks set to be a tough opponent for anyone.
Billam Smith has now successfully defended his WBO title for the second time, and for Liakporhe it's another start to the plan, so it may be a while before he earns a second world title shot.
