The fight was to be the main event of a boxing evening organized by Boxxer in the UK. Previously, there were attempts to organize such a fight on September 30 in Marseille.
The WBA recently ordered Gulamiryan to make a mandatory title defense against Yuniel Dorticos. None of these boxers are currently represented by a significant promoter. Riakpo, in turn, was named the official challenger for the WBO belt.