British cruiserweight and world champion contender Richard Riakporhe today announces a partnership with global charity Street Child.
The cruiserweight who is unbeaten in his first 14 fights with 10 knockouts to his name, with the most recent win a stoppage of Deion Jumah at Wembley Arena in March, has joined Street Child, a charity that helps to get children around the world back into education.
Richard is also a model, anti-gang and knife crime activist, Adidas global athlete and Street Child’s newest partner, who will work to increase awareness of the ongoing conflict in North-East Nigeria and to highlight the charity’s impact in the country.
The star boxer has just returned from a week-long trip with Street Child to Maiduguri, a Boko Haram stronghold, in North-East Nigeria where he met children benefitting from Street Child programmes, spoke to community leaders and elders about the risks of being recruited into armed gangs and discussed the frontline work of local partners.
From the age of 12, Richard was a gang member, immersed in a gang culture on South London’s notorious Aylesbury Estate which led to him being stabbed in the heart after one altercation escalated.
At 19, Richard walked into a boxing gym and found a home and a new career path, alongside gaining a university degree and beginning his journey to the summit of U.K. boxing, where he now stands.
Education and boxing undeniably saved his life.
The decision to partner with Street Child was an easy one, especially once Richard had seen first-hand the impact Street Child are having in the country.
On announcing the partnership Richard said “It’s great to be announcing I’m the newest Street Child partner.
I wanted to connect back home with my roots and seeing the work with my own eyes made me realise the impact Street Child are having in Nigeria. I wanted to align myself with them, they stand for what I stand for.”
The trip left a lasting impact on Richard but also on those who he met.
On his return, he said “When I spoke to the elders, they said that if it wasn’t for Street Child setting up informal education spaces they don’t know where they would be, the children would be suffering even more.
It makes you realise how important the work of Street Child is. I then told them my story and they thanked me for visiting the kids as I look like them and it’s a moment they would never forget.
As I’ve achieved things and am from the same country, I’ve impacted them by giving the kids something to strive towards and look up to. It was really touching.”
Alice Lowden, Head of Marketing, Media and Comms at Street Child said “I’m delighted to be announcing this partnership with Richard.
He is an incredible individual with a powerful global platform and huge scope to make a tangible difference in raising awareness of the ongoing crisis in Nigeria, which millions of children are living through daily.”
The major focus of the partnership is Street Child’s work in Nigeria, where both of Richard’s parents were born and he still has friends and family.