British light heavyweight Craig Richards has ended his long association with Matchroom Boxing to sign with Zuffa Boxing.
The move comes before his scheduled 10-round bout against Radivoje Kalajdzic on September 26, 2026, at London's Copper Box Arena.
The contest will serve as the co-main event for Zuffa Boxing 11.
Richards, a former WBA title challenger, had spent a decade with Matchroom but grew frustrated after being bypassed for an IBF world title final eliminator.
Despite securing consecutive knockout victories against Padraig McCrory and Dan Azeez in 2025, he was not granted the opportunity he felt his performances warranted.
Why Richards Left Matchroom
Richards explained that the decision stemmed from Matchroom's inability to deliver the next step in his career.
"We got to the point that Matchroom couldn't deliver what was next for me," Richards told BoxingScene.
"We had a conversation about it and basically Zuffa could deliver what I needed.
We left Matchroom amicably and joined Zuffa and we're looking for the next chapter now."
The London fighter pointed to the allocation of an IBF eliminator bout to another fighter as the final catalyst.
"We spoke about a final eliminator and I agreed on that. Conor Wallace was one of the opponents for the IBF final eliminator," Richards said.
"You saw Whittaker got the fight, and there was not much for me to wait around for because if the world title can't get delivered and the final eliminator couldn't get delivered, then obviously I have to push on with my career, don't I?"
Despite the frustration, Richards maintained a professional outlook on the split.
"It is what it is," he said. "It's business.
At the end of the day, they've made the right business moves.
They've got to make the right moves for themselves, and I've just got to make the right moves for myself and push on to keep chasing my goals and aspirations."
Richards Targets Statement Win in London
Looking ahead to his London return, Richards aims for a decisive victory to re-enter world title contention.
"I think going out there and putting on a statement performance against him puts my name in a hat for that world title, 100 per cent," Richards told Sky Sports.
He reaffirmed his primary goal in the 175-pound division.
"I'm locked in. I'm ready to do a job," he said.
"I want to be world champion."
The Crystal Palace native stressed that his career dedication warrants a championship outcome.
"My story hasn't been written yet," Richards said.
"I didn't do all of this and sacrifice everything to not accomplish my goals to be a world champion."
"So I feel like I should get a reward.
I'm not being entitled, but I feel like the work I put in, I should get something back out of it.
And that's to be world champion."
He expressed enthusiasm for fighting in front of his hometown audience.
"For sure, co-main-event fight in front of a home crowd, you know it's a good place to start," Richards said.
Richards concluded by focusing on his immediate tactical objective.
"Execute on the night and we move forward from there," he told Sky Sports.
On the other side, Belgrade native Radivoje Kalajdzic enters ranked No. 3 by the WBO and No. 6 by the WBC following a seventh-round knockout of Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Las Vegas in February.
Kalajdzic addressed his physical readiness after shaking off a long period of inactivity during his last fight.
"I had the 18-month layoff, so coming in, I had a lot of ring rust," Kalajdzic said to The Ring.
"Now, I feel like I won't because I fought seven months ago. I'm still very fresh.
I'm just ready to fight…I didn't think the ring rust had any effect until I actually experienced it, and it does a lot."
"Your distance, your timing, your rhythm, just everything – it's very different from sparring. I think I'll be much sharper and smoother in this fight."
The 35-year-old fighter noted that overcoming adversity against Gvozdyk boosted his confidence.
"The way I knocked him out and the way I came back gave me a lot of momentum," Kalajdzic said.
"If I had stopped him in the first two rounds, people would have been like, 'Oh, Gvozdyk is old.'
The way the fight happened and how sharp he looked before the knockout, I think it's given me a lot of momentum."
Kalajdzic expressed optimism regarding potential title opportunities in the light heavyweight division.
"I feel like just the doors open now for anybody in the top 10 to break out and do some crazy things," Kalajdzic said.
"Even with Beterbiev, they're talking about him and Bivol next year. Benavidez, I don't think he's moving down.
He's just fighting at cruiserweight. The door is open for anybody to make a big move and do something."
The fight will air live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and stream on Paramount+ in the United States.
