Tommy Welch vs Richard Riakporhe Preview Nov. 15th, 2025
Richard Riakporhe of London, England fights in his hometown this Saturday, November 15th when he takes on unbeaten Tommy Welch of Sussex. The 10-rounder can be seen live in most nations on DAZN pay-per-view on the undercard of the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn tilt. Riakporhe last boxed in May when he halted Kevin Nicolas Espindola after four rounds. Welch was last in the ring in March when he beat Vaclav Pejsar on points over six rounds.
Welch vs Riakporhe Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Tommy Welch +800
- Richard Riakporhe -1500
My Pick
The 30-year-old Welch makes his way to the ring with a perfect mark of 16-0 with 9 Ko’s and has 54 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2020. As an amateur he competed in the 2013 Great Britain Youth Championships and was reportedly a four-time national amateur super heavyweight champion. His father, Scott Welch, once held the Commonwealth and British Heavyweight Belts and dropped a unanimous decision to Henry Akinwande for the WBO Belt in 1997. he also stopped Joe Bugner in six rounds in 1996.
Welch measures 6-feet-3-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. As far as power is concerned, his current knockout ratio clocks in at 56.2 per cent and he’s stopped three of his last six opponents. Welch will be taking a pretty big step up in class against Riakphore though as he’s faced just domestic-level opposition so far with his six-point decision over Pavel Sour in 2023 being his biggest win. Just seven of Welch’s 16 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record.
The 35-year-old Riakporhe enters the ring with a fine mark of 18-1 with 14 Ko’s and has boxed 93 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016. Riakporhe didn’t take up the sport until he was 19 years old but he captured the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Cruiserweight Belt in his eighth pro fight by stopping Sam Hyde in the eighth round. He defended it against Tommy McCarthy by fourth-round stoppage and Chris Billam-Smith via a 10-round split decision.
Riakporhe added the vacant British Cruiserweight Title in December, 2019 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jack Massey. He’s fought exclusively in England against European level competition and took a step up in class against Krzysztof Glowacki in 2023 and stopped him in the fourth round. Riakphore then met Billam-Smith in 2024 when Billam Smith was the WBO Cruiserweight champion and dropped a unanimous decision for his lone pro defeat.
Since he stands 6-feet-5-inches tall with a 77-inch reach, Riakporhe decided he has the height and reach to compete as a heavyweight and moved up to the division in May when he stopped Espindola. He has a two-inch height advantage on Welch and will be fighting as a full-fledged heavyweight for the second time. Riakphore also has quite a bit of power in his fists as 77.8 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last six straight.
Prediction…
This is an interesting matchup as Welch is a tough customer with an unbeaten record while and a solid chin while the bigger Riakporhe is fighting as a heavyweight for just the second time. Riakphore has more power and the better boxing skills and has also taken on tougher opponents as a pro. Welch will give it a good shot but I think he’ll fall short against Riakporhe this weekend.
Riakporhe is a class above Welch at his point of their careers.
Play: Riakporhe -1500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Richard Riakporhe betting • Tommy Welch betting