Richard Riakporhe sends chilling warning to Chris Billam-Smith over mind games - EXCLUSIVE

Richard Riakporhe has warned Chris Billam-Smith that it is pointless to play mind games with him ahead of their world title showdown on Saturday night. The two fighters will do battle for the WBO cruiserweight title in front of a capacity crowd at Selhurst Park.

The build-up to the fight has been tense, with Riakporhe hoping to become a world champion for the first time after winning all 17 of his professional bouts to date. Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, he accused Billam-Smith of playing mind games but warned that any attempts to unsettle him will not have the desired effect.

"I noticed that on his side, when we did The Gloves Are Off and when we did the press conference, he seemed quite snappy which was a bit strange," said Riakporhe.

"I’ve never seen him like that before. I don’t know if maybe it’s a little strategy that he and his team are trying to do, trying to get into my mind. But they don’t understand the type of opponent they are up against. If they did, they wouldn’t bother."

The two cruiserweights have shared the ring once before, with Riakporhe earning a narrow split decision victory over Billam-Smith five years ago. He is not taking any comfort from his previous win, though, in the knowledge that Billam-Smith will have learned from his past mistakes.

"We’ve put the past victory where it is, in the past, and we’ve wiped down the whiteboard and focused on the new task ahead," explained Riakporhe. "Chris Billam-Smith has improved and he’s not the same fighter as before. To be fair, I think we’ve approached it like any other fight.

"The opponent is myself, that’s how I’ve always thought. Once I can beat myself in every way and in every aspect then I can’t be beaten. That’s the confidence that we take into these fights. 

"That’s why we’re always smiling during fight week, always laughing and joking, because we know it’s just another day in the office. This is what we do. We’re well prepared."

Riakporhe is a keen Crystal Palace supporter and will have the unequivocal backing of the Selhurst Park crowd on Saturday night. Having grown up in south London, he believes that Billam-Smith may struggle to cope with the pressure of being the away fighter.

"When I land the big shots everybody will be screaming and saying: ‘Richard, take him out’, and it’s going to affect his energy levels," he said.

"Energy is a very important thing when it comes to everything in life, especially with these fights. If the energy is high, it’s almost like momentum. It just keeps on coming and it grows and grows and it’s hard to overcome that. You’re going against everybody, you know? You’re going against not just me but the whole of south London. We all want Riakporhe to win."