Richard Riakporhe has received an offer to fight at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park in summer 2024.
Riakporhe has been continuing his cruiserweight journey under the Sky Sports and BOXXER banner and is set to make his latest bow on the undercard of Liam Smith's rematch with Chris Eubank Jr in June. It has been a tough time recently for the London native who has been forced to wait for a world-title shot, but is now in advanced talks to face WBA belt-holder Arsen Goulamirian later this year.
It will have also been a tough blow seeing domestic rival Chris Billam-Smith secure his dream stadium fight against Lawrence Okolie at the Vitality Stadium this month. Riakporhe has made it known from the early stages of his career of his dream to compete on the turf of his beloved Crystal Palace before the end of his career.
And he has revealed that this could come to fruition next summer, with officials from the club having reached out to his promoter Ben Shalom. "A lot of people don't know but they have had a meeting and next year there is a big anniversary," Riakporhe told Mirror Fighting . "And they want me to box in Selhurst Park next year around the summer.
"This is some great news. They have already contacted Ben Shalom and BOXXER, so this is going to materialise one hundred per cent it is just a matter of time. I don't think there has been a fight in Selhurst Park before, especially with a guy who represents Palace every time he fights with the Palace logo. It will be such a big thing for the fans.
"It also gives the fans hope that there are other people from South London that are doing well in different sports. I fell in love with Palace and I want to bring them with me on this journey. I want to bring Palace's name with me around the world, I was even in the US and people talking about how they know Palace."
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Palace have pulled clear of the looming relegation zone under new caretaker manager Roy Hodgson and there is a much more positive feel around the club in recent weeks. This will likely be boosted by the news that Riakporhe could grace the South London turf, although it remains unclear on a potential opponent.
The 33-year-old has been chasing silverware and is confident that he will indeed get his shot soon despite facing a frustrating wait. "I was a little frustrated but then I realised every dog has its day," Riakporhe continued. "Me having not received it yet is giving me more time to go back to the gym and work on my craft. It is giving me more time to prepare, the skills pay the bills. I actually think this could be working in my favour."
