Ben Shalom Defends Staging For Billiam-Smith vs. Riakporhe At Sellhurst Park

Boxing promoter Ben Shalom has defended Boxxer staging the rematch between Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe.

Billam-Smith scored a decision win over Riakporhe over the weekend in a rematch of their 2019 fight which Riakporhe won by split decision. Shalom decided to do the rematch at Sellhurst Park and he says having the fight outdoors was something he wanted to do.

“We knew it was gonna do fairly well, because it’s June; because it’s outdoor; because it doesn’t happen a lot, and Palace have a huge season-ticket support,” Shalom said, via BoxingScene. “Then you’ve got Chris Billam-Smith in the mix. The reality is you were left with a decision where you’ve got a big fight, and do you want to go to The O2 in June? Wembley Arena in June? Not really. This was a huge opportunity. It’s a domestic world-title fight – we did the same in Bournemouth [when Billam-Smith defeated Lawrence Okolie].

“The O2’s an expensive venue. From a business point of view this was a similar cost to The O2. Do you want to do an outdoor event or an indoor event? The choice was obvious. It was a lot of work for us, but we wanted to put on a spectacle for these fights, and were making dreams come true, and that’s what it’s all about. Huge, huge night for British boxing, and a domestic world-title fight – you don’t get many of them anymore. Special night,” Shalom added.

“We know what Chris Billam-Smith sells. We know domestic world-title fights sell. Sometimes when you go to a football club it does better. Chris Billam-Smith did 15,000 [tickets] in Bournemouth. Sometimes with a club behind you, and the season tickets, you know it’s going to do well,” Shalom concluded.

Ben Shalom says Sellhurst Park ended up being a great venue for them.

Chris Billam-Smith is now 20-1 as a pro and retained his WBO cruiserweight title with the decision win over Richard Riakporhe.