Viddal Riley, the chap who’s making waves in the cruiserweight division, has decided to stick with BOXXER and Sky Sports for a bit longer. Seems like he’s found a cozy spot there since hopping on board in 2021, and frankly, who can blame him?
At the ripe age of 26, he bagged the English Cruiserweight Title, making Nathan Quarless wonder what hit him last September. Now, he’s gearing up to tangle with Mikael Lawal, a former British champ no less, in what’s shaping up to be a right corker at The O2 in London on a not-so-lazy Sunday, March 31st. The event’s got a bit of a dramatic flair, dubbed ‘Bad Blood’, which sounds more like a telly drama than a fight night.
Riley’s got his eyes on the prize, dreaming of hoisting world titles with a bit of help from his mates at BOXXER and Sky Sports. “Winning the English Title is just the start,” he says, already plotting his path to becoming the toast of Britain, Europe, and then the world.
Ben Shalom, the big boss at BOXXER, is chuffed to bits having Riley on board for the long haul. He reckons Riley’s got the stuff to leap from national hero to global sensation, and with Sky Sports in his corner, the sky’s indeed the limit.
Before turning pro and joining the Mayweather Promotions gang in 2018, Riley was quite the dab hand in the amateur ranks, bagging national titles left and right and even snagging a silver at the European Junior Championships. His debut under the BOXXER banner saw him outclass Willbeforce Shihepo, setting the stage for a streak of knockout performances.
Beyond the ring, Riley’s not just a pair of fists. He’s a bit of a celeb on YouTube, with a following that could fill a small city, and he’s even dabbling in music and fashion with his own mixtapes and clothing line, ‘Livin’ Sports By RIL’. Talk about a renaissance man.