Jack Massey ready to compete with winner of Chris Billam-Smith vs. Richard Riakporhe

Jack Massey has waited years for one of his British rivals to take the bait and fight him, but the 31-year-old finally finds himself in the thick of the cruiserweight action this week.

Massey, 21-2 (12 KOs), faces Isaac Chamberlain for the vacant European title on the undercard of the WBO cruiserweight title fight between Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park.

After waiting so long for his chance, Massey wouldn’t be human if he didn’t examine the scene he’s a part of and allow himself to imagine what might happen in the not-too-distant future if he surpassed Chamberlain.

“Finish this fight, win the European title and I’ll be in the running for the winner of those two,” Massey told BoxingScene. “It’s a perfect opportunity. Pull off this fight convincingly, get the belt and maybe we can get a little jump in the ring after their fight.

Aside from Massey, Britain’s top cruiserweights have long been engaged in an unofficial round robin.

In the summer of 2019, Riakporhe defeated Billam-Smith. Massey’s only engagement on the show came five months later when he also lost a competitive decision to the Londoner, and he believes Riakporhe will repeat the affair this weekend and take the WBO title from BIllam-Smith .

Massey’s belief was bolstered by the time he spent training with Mateusz Masternak before the Polish fighter’s unsuccessful attempt at Billam-Smith’s title last December, rather than any improvement he noticed in Riakporhe.

“It’s a tricky question, only because of Billam-Smith’s last fight against Masternak,” he said. “To be completely honest with you, I wasn’t in good shape. I wasn’t in great shape but I was fighting him and I thought, ‘Billam-Smith has a good touch here’ but I think he (Masternak) was beating him until his body pulled and he breaks a rib. I think he lost just about every round.

“I’m intrigued to see what happens but I’m getting a little closer to Riakporhe. I would like one or the other. Right Wrongs with Riakporhe and I’ve always wanted to pick a fight with Billam-Smith ever since he started making noise on the scene.