A video appears to show British cruiserweight rivals, Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe, get into a physical altercation.
The organisers of the Creed 3 premiere in London likely didn’t expect any boxing off screen, but it appears that that’s what they got.
In a video doing the rounds from the Leicester Square event, Okolie and Riakporhe are seen lunging and grabbing for one another. No punches were thrown in the clip, and it’s unclear how the altercation kicked off.
‼️ Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe clashing at the CREED III London premiere this evening… pic.twitter.com/fdIKYIRq8p
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 15, 2023
Okolie has held the WBO cruiserweight title since 2021, and has recently signed with BOXXER and Sky Sports. He’s been in the headlines recently not for boxing, but for a high-profle split from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, as well as his trainer, Shane McGuigan. He recently confirmed he has now linked up with Tyson Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward.
Riakporhe is under the same banner, and a domestic scrap between the two has already been talked up.
The pair appeared on a joint Sky Sports interview via video link recently and were cordial but both willing to fight in future. It was assumed they meant in the ring at that point, but a Cineworld seemed to have the honour of hosting instead. In the comments, some fans suggested it was a well-organised publicity stunt.
Okolie will defend his belt on March 25 in Manchester against undefeated contender, David Light. Riakporhe recently appeared on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr versus Liam Smith, producing a fourth round stoppage over Krzysztof Głowacki.
Both unbeaten and packing power, the domestic clash is high on the lists of British fans.
Many names from the boxing world were in attendance at the film’s European premiere, including trainer Dave Coldwell and fighter-turned-pundit, Tony Bellew, who reprises his role as ‘Pretty Ricky Conlan’ in the Hollywood flick.