BoxRec

“It’s clear to us that Jai Opetaia is the most avoided Cruiserweight in the world. Twice we’ve had mandatory challengers pull out on us at the last minute. Once with Mateusz Masternak and now with Richard Riakporhe," Mick Francis said.

"I’ve been in regular contact with Ben Shalom from Boxxer the whole way during this negotiating period. I was amused to read that Richard stated he had accepted offers for the fight on two occasions. That’s news to me. If he accepted, then why were we going to purse bids in a couple of hours’ time?

"When Masternak pulled out, we petitioned the IBF to have a voluntary defense. Boxxer stood in our way and enforced Riakporhe’s rights as mandatory challenger. For Riakporhe to pull out at the last minute is an extremely poor reflection on Boxxer and how badly Richard wanted the fight in the first place. We have an obligation as promoters to make the best fights happen for the boxers and for the fans. I’m not sure that Ben Shalom and Boxxer can say they’re fulfilling that obligation at present."

“Obviously I’m disappointed,” said Opetaia. “Normally fighters dream of fighting for the world title, so to be given an opportunity and pull out, makes no sense to me. I’m ready for the next challenge, I can’t wait to defend my belts."

Francis continued: “This is twice we’ve exhausted our negotiating period for a mandatory challenger and Jai hasn’t fought. He’s desperate to get back into the ring. I’ll speak to the IBF about where we go from here and I’ll be hoping that we can get somebody to step in the ring with Jai in the next few months. All roads in the Cruiserweight division go through Jai Opetaia.”

Twinkle Toes wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 06:30 Boxxer are a joke.

Ben Shalom is completely out of his depth IMO.

Surely the sanctioning body would be pissed off that they've given a fighter and his team the time to negotiate and then put a process in place to settle these kind of disputes fairly only for one team to pull out on the f ucking day setting that title holder back months.

What puzzles me about this situation and the Frazer Clarke one is that both times Boxxer petitioned to the BBBC and now the IBF to order these fights for their men and pulled them out last minute, I can't get my head around the logic

handsofstone wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 16:10 What puzzles me about this situation and the Frazer Clarke one is that both times Boxxer petitioned to the BBBC and now the IBF to order these fights for their men and pulled them out last minute, I can't get my head around the logic

I think Ben the schmuck is scared of making a stupid bid.

handsofstone wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 16:10 What puzzles me about this situation and the Frazer Clarke one is that both times Boxxer petitioned to the BBBC and now the IBF to order these fights for their men and pulled them out last minute, I can't get my head around the logic

I think Shalom didnt factor in that both fighters would be represented by Matchroom.

Wardley, apparently, doesnt have a promotional deal with Matchroom but more of a fight by fight basis and so was/is a promotional free agent which Shalom mentioned previously and i dont think Shalom thought Wardley would go through Hearn for the Clarke fight.

Whilst Jai Opetaia has only just recently signed with Matchroom.

Its clear that Shalom and Boxxer dont want to work with Hearn and Matchroom.

liamlion wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 08:59

handsofstone wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 16:10 What puzzles me about this situation and the Frazer Clarke one is that both times Boxxer petitioned to the BBBC and now the IBF to order these fights for their men and pulled them out last minute, I can't get my head around the logic

I think Shalom didnt factor in that both fighters would be represented by Matchroom.

Wardley, apparently, doesnt have a promotional deal with Matchroom but more of a fight by fight basis and so was/is a promotional free agent which Shalom mentioned previously and i dont think Shalom thought Wardley would go through Hearn for the Clarke fight.

Whilst Jai Opetaia has only just recently signed with Matchroom.

Its clear that Shalom and Boxxer dont want to work with Hearn and Matchroom.

So why did Shalom openly come out and see promoters need to work more together and they’ll work with everyone? Yet based on recent evidence are going out of their way to not have their boxer even risk being on another show.

jwfg wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 15:13

Twinkle Toes wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 06:30 Boxxer are a joke.

Ben Shalom is completely out of his depth IMO.

correct

pound shop eddie H

stevec@france wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 09:33

jwfg wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 15:13

Twinkle Toes wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 06:30 Boxxer are a joke.

Ben Shalom is completely out of his depth IMO.

correct

pound shop eddie H

SKY would have been better off making Wasserman their main promoter.

Complete clown, seen him on interviews saying he wants to change boxing for the better, work with other promoters to get fights made etc.

maverick23 wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 09:22

liamlion wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 08:59

handsofstone wrote: ↑09 Aug 2023, 16:10 What puzzles me about this situation and the Frazer Clarke one is that both times Boxxer petitioned to the BBBC and now the IBF to order these fights for their men and pulled them out last minute, I can't get my head around the logic

I think Shalom didnt factor in that both fighters would be represented by Matchroom.

Wardley, apparently, doesnt have a promotional deal with Matchroom but more of a fight by fight basis and so was/is a promotional free agent which Shalom mentioned previously and i dont think Shalom thought Wardley would go through Hearn for the Clarke fight.

Whilst Jai Opetaia has only just recently signed with Matchroom.

Its clear that Shalom and Boxxer dont want to work with Hearn and Matchroom.

So why did Shalom openly come out and see promoters need to work more together and they’ll work with everyone? Yet based on recent evidence are going out of their way to not have their boxer even risk being on another show.

Maybe because he thought it sounded good at the time but when confronted with the reality it was a completely different prospect and he didnt fancy risking seeing his fighter on a rival's network in a fight that his charge could lose and thus he didnt want to take the gamble, im guessing...

liamlion wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 10:37

maverick23 wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 09:22

liamlion wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 08:59

I think Shalom didnt factor in that both fighters would be represented by Matchroom.

Wardley, apparently, doesnt have a promotional deal with Matchroom but more of a fight by fight basis and so was/is a promotional free agent which Shalom mentioned previously and i dont think Shalom thought Wardley would go through Hearn for the Clarke fight.

Whilst Jai Opetaia has only just recently signed with Matchroom.

Its clear that Shalom and Boxxer dont want to work with Hearn and Matchroom.

So why did Shalom openly come out and see promoters need to work more together and they’ll work with everyone? Yet based on recent evidence are going out of their way to not have their boxer even risk being on another show.

Maybe because he thought it sounded good at the time but when confronted with the reality it was a completely different prospect and he didnt fancy risking seeing his fighter on a rival's network in a fight that his charge could lose and thus he didnt want to take the gamble, im guessing...

Cus at the time, it was his first big fight, was Parker-Joyce wasn't it?

He had no pull power to get that on Sky.

So make an excuse and say you open to working with anyone

You have to wonder how Shalom got the job?

It's not like he had any type of apprentiship

Any link to Philip Schofield?

shalom is a fraud. maybe sky was just desperate for the new eddie and fell for his look

Sanctioning bodys should make Boxxer pay there bid fee a week prior to purse bids, so that people know they want to go to bids and arnt just fornicating people about till the last second. cause pulling out that late is a bad faith move and just wasting peoples time...

So Shalom came out and blamed Matchroom (saying he’s not even sure Matchroom are involved, saying Matchroom have got involved with Opetaia to interfere with them) a couple of days.

Eddie’s now come out and said Boxxer made Opetaia (through Tasman fighters but asked for it not to be revealed to Matchroom) an offer to fight Riakporhe in September after they’d withdrawn from purse bids.

The truth with these things is usually somewhere in the middle but it’s making Boxxer look a bit stupid.

I still don’t get why they didn’t just go to purse bids. Take the Arnold Barboza/Liam Paro purse bids. Matchroom beat Top Rank but not by much and the overall amount ($300k) once split for Barboza wouldn’t make it worthwhile to fight off his home show so he withdrew from the fight following the bids. Why wouldn’t Boxxer just do that if they’re still keen to make the fight?

If it’s not a world title fight next for Riakporhe then they’ve really messed things up I think.

Coco wrote: ↑10 Aug 2023, 13:45 You have to wonder how Shalom got the job?

It's not like he had any type of apprentiship

Any link to Philip Schofield?

Richard Riakporhe, from London, England, is set to return on December 7 against fellow Briton David Jamieson in the unexpected setting of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Boxium Promotions have announced.

The bout will be on the undercard of the WBC welterweight eliminator between Souleymane Cissokho and Egidus Kavaliauskas.