Lawrence Okolie has revealed that a playful dig about Richard Riakporhe’s rumored fling with Madonna led to the pair being pulled apart at the 2023 premiere of Creed III. Preparing for his second fight in the heavyweight division, the 32-year-old Okolie is scheduled to face Riakporhe—who will be making his heavyweight debut—on April 5 at the Co-op Live in Manchester. Their clash will take place on the undercard of the Dillian Whyte vs. Joe Joyce event. Both Okolie and Riakporhe moved up after defeats to Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO cruiserweight title. Riakporhe maintains that his loss was the reason he and Okolie did not fight sooner, despite their long-standing rivalry, and that their bout could not take place before 2025.