Here’s all you need to know about the 34-year-old Nigerian boxer rumoured to have stolen the heart of Madonna.
This past week, American music legend, Madonna, has made the headlines over details of her relationship.
Weeks after reportedly ending her year-long relationship with 30-year-old former NFL player and boxing coach, Josh Popper, the queen of pop sparked fresh romance rumours with Richard Riakporhe.
In this article, Pulse Sports reveals details of Richard Riakporhe, the Nigerian boxer, believed to have stolen Madonna’s heart.
20:26 - 31.05.2024
Madonna: American musician allegedly unveils new boyfriend, a Nigerian boxer she's 31 years older than
65-year-old Madonna has reportedly found love in the arms of a 34-year-old Nigerian boxer.
Madonna: 11 facts about her rumoured new boyfriend, Richard Riakporhe
1, Who is Richard Riakporhe?
Richard Riakporhe is a British-Nigerian professional boxer who held the British cruiserweight title from 2019 to 2020.
Riakporhe made the headlines after a photo of him and pop legend Madonna, emerged on social media, sparking dating rumours.
Outside of boxing, Riakporhe has set up a company — Richard Riakporhe Foundation, which focuses on talking to schoolchildren on positive thinking and the dangers of knife crime.
2, Richard Riakporhe Age
Richard Riakporhe was born on January 5, 1990.
As of May 2024, he is 34 years old.
3, He is 31 years younger than Madonna
While Riakporhe is 34 years old, his rumoured partner Madonna is 65 years old, making her 31 years older than the boxer.
Madonna turns 66 later in August this year.
4, Is Madonna dating Richard Riakporhe?
As at the time of this report, it is still unclear if the ‘Queen of Pop’ is in a relationship with the boxer.
Fans have continued to speculate that the pair could have begun a romantic journey, but neither Riakporhe nor Madonna has confirmed or denied the rumours.
5, He is of Nigerian descent
Riakporhe was born to Nigerian parents, and grew up on the Aylesbury Estate in Walworth, London.
6, He was stabbed in the chest at 15
At the age of 15, Richard was stabbed in the chest outside a house party, requiring emergency surgery to drain his lungs of blood.
Having survived that experience, the cruserweight boxer got inspiration to start up his foundation to create awareness for school children, as mentioned earlier.
7, Richard Riakporhe Boxing Career
Riakporhe made his professional debut on 6 August 2016, scoring a four-round points decision (PTS) victory over Jason Jones at the York Hall in London.
Following a second win in 2016 – a technical knockout (TKO) over Aaron Lacy in October, he scored three consecutive TKO victories in 2017 - against Istvan Orsos in February, Milan Cechvala in May, and Jiri Svacina in October
Riakporhe first became a cruserweight champion in his final fight of 2018 against Sam Hyde on November 10 at the Manchester Arena.
Riakporhe won via eighth-round TKO to win the WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title.
The first defence of his WBA title came in March 2019 against Tommy McCarthy at the East of England Arena in Peterborough.
Riakporhe dropped his opponent twice en route to a fourth-round TKO.
He successfully defended the title for a second time against Chris Billam-Smith on 20 July at The O2 Arena, London.
Riakporhe returned from a near two-year layoff to face Krzysztof Twardowski in October 2021 in his first non-title bout since July 28, 2018.
He won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 79-72.
A month later, Riakporhe defeated Olanrewaju Durodola by a fifth-round technical knockout to capture the vacant WBC Silver cruiserweight title.
Riakporhe is scheduled to challenge Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO cruiserweight title at Selhurst Park in London, England on June 15, 2024.
As of May 2024, Riakporhe’s boxing record is 17 total fights, 17 wins - 13 of them by Knock Outs.
8, Richard Riakporhe Social Media
Richard Riakporhe is on social media.
His official Instagram page is verified with more than 73,600 followers on the platform.
Riakporhe is also on X, boasting over 16,000 followers on Elon Musk’s network.
9, Richard Riakporhe Height
Riakporhe’s height has been cited as one of the potential reasons Madonna allegedly got attracted to him.
The British-Nigerian boxer stands at an impressive 6ft 5inches tall.
10, He is a fan of a Premier League club
Amongst other things, Riakporhe is also a fan of football.
He is understood to be a huge fan of Premier League club, Crystal Palace.
11, Richard Riakporhe Net Worth
As of 2024, Richard Riakporhe is estimated to have a net worth of $5 million, as per Sunrise Sports.
According to his social media pages, the boxer is affiliated with Adidas, Sky Sports, Dior, and IMG models.
However, that figure is minute compared to that of Madonna, his rumoured love interest.
As of 2024, Madonna is estimated to boast a net worth of a staggering $850 million, as per Forbes.
Madonna’s legendary career in pop music has seen her gross an estimated $1.2 billion on the road in her career.
Forbes also recently named her in their 2024 list of America’s self-made women.