LONDON – It is a rainy Monday morning in London and Richard Riakporhe has just finished watching Riddick Bowe’s eighth-round stoppage of Tyrell Biggs from March 1991.

“That’s just what I like to do with my time,” Riakporhe told The Ring. “And I watch the entire broadcast as well. Start to finish. I like to understand what they’re talking about, the context of the time, their analysis of what they’re seeing. That’s important to me, maybe I’m weird like that.”

Riakporhe (18-1, 14 KOs) believes his regular study of boxing history has given him a unique vantage point of the sport right now – and it is why he believes a shot at the world heavyweight title in 2026 is not out of the question.

Now 35, Riakporhe is not attempting to play the slow game in his new division. He moved up from cruiserweight having tried and failed to beat Chris Billam-Smith for his WBO title in their June 2024 rematch and debuted at heavyweight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 3.

He dropped and stopped Kevin Espindola inside four rounds that night and six months on is primed to face undefeated Tommy Welch (16-0, 9 KOs) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.

London’s Riakporhe and Brighton’s Welch will square off on The Ring’s “Eubank Jr. vs. Benn 2: Unfinished Business” pay-per-view undercard distributed by DAZN (£24.99 in the UK; $59.99 in the United States). Riakporhe is a huge favourite with the oddsmakers and sees Welch as a steppingstone to bigger and better things next year.

Riakporhe was always very big for cruiserweight and there was hardly an ounce of fat on him when he weighed 235 pounds against Espindola (9-10, 4 KOs). He has not even bothered weighing himself ahead of this fight, but has predicted he will be around the same size which is, in his view, perfect for a heavyweight.

“I watched the Evander Holyfield-Buster Douglas fight the other day as well,” Riakporhe continued. “On the broadcast they were saying Douglas would be too big. He was nearly 40 pounds heavier, then Holyfield stops him in three. I love the old school fighting. If you put someone like Tyrell Biggs in this generation, he would be an issue for many people. These guys were big, but weren't heavy. Him and Riddick Bowe were 225 apiece.

“All of it gives me a better understanding of the division. Heavyweights these days want to bulk up so they can compare to people like Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua, big guys, but I feel like everybody’s got it wrong. I think I’m what it should be, the optimal weight where you don’t see much fat. I draw these conclusions because I’ve studied the past.”

A victory over Welch will open the door to a string of lucrative domestic fights, but Riakporhe can’t help but think way bigger. He smiled when asked whether a shot at the winner of Frazer Clarke and Jeamie TKV, who meet for the British heavyweight title on November 29, would be on his radar.

“I’m trying to get to the very top,” he said. “At cruiserweight I was boxing at world level and that’s where I’m heading as a heavyweight. I’m here to win a world title and not playing around. It’s a dream but it’s my reality. I think there has been a hold-up at the top of the division over the past couple of years, but we have an undisputed champion.

“I think things are going to change very soon. It will all open up next year and there will be a scramble for the world titles. For me it is about positioning, aligning myself with the right people and then being ready. Seriously, everything is possible.”

It looks as though it will be a different Brit who gets the chance to turn the division on its head, as undefeated Fabio Wardley is next in line for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed crown. The pair are expected to meet in the spring.

“Look, Fabio is the perfect example for me,” Riakporhe said. “Me and him have shared many, many rounds and look where he is. I’ve seen the come-up, it’s crazy. People often perceived me and him as similar. We had a few 50-50 fights, didn’t look too good and then, bang, look what he’s done.

“Fabio has done something special, but it just goes to show it only takes a couple of big wins, and you are right there and that’s the same for me.”