Viddal Riley is relishing the prospect of measuring his progress as a professional against the performances of his fellow Britons Tony Bellew and Chris Billam-Smith.
He on Saturday challenges Poland’s Mateusz Masternak for the defending champion’s European cruiserweight title in a fight that is also an eliminator for the recently-vacant title of the IBF.
Riley and Masternak fight on the undercard of Deontay Wilder-Derek Chisora at London’s O2 Arena, in a contest that represents the most significant of his career.
Aged 28, his profile surpasses his achievements as a professional boxer, but after considering a potentially lucrative future in the lamentable Misfits Boxing he has committed to realising his ambitions in a competitive ring, and on Saturday he confronts Masternak – 10 years his senior and an unsuccessful past opponent of former world champions Bellew, Billam-Smith, Yuniel Dorticos and more – and will learn considerably more about whether or not he can achieve his aims.
“That’s why I’m excited for the fight – I’ve watched Tony Bellew against Masternak; basically any fight of Masternak’s that you can watch, I’ve watched it,” Riley told BoxingScene. “We’ve seen him against Bellew; we’ve seen him against Billam-Smith; we’ve seen him against Dorticos. We’re talking about the world-level cruiserweight guys. So if I belong in there, I need to get a win against someone like that.
“He’s a very good fighter. He’s the ultimate cruiserweight gatekeeper. If you want to go into a higher room in your career – past domestic; past European – he’s just been there, just standing in the doorway.
“[He has] experience. Great jab. Great straight punches, and he’s elite at knowing how to manage championship rounds. He’s elite at championship distance. He’s done it so many times – he knows how to pace himself. Very good fighter, and he’s going to ask some questions of me to be able to deal with him the way I’d like to – better than Billam, and better than Tony Bellew [laughs].
“He’s not really not good at anything. That makes him a difficult opponent. He’s solid all the way round. He’s the character in the computer game that just has even stats across the board. He’s not crazy in one space. But, we’re gonna find him – don’t you worry about that.
“Masternak is the best opponent I’ve had to date. Am I getting an older Masternak? Yes. I’m getting one that’s had the mileage of the past on him. A softer Masternak? I can’t say that. But I don’t think about all of that. I just know that he’s older now and that it’s my time now – he’s definitely not in his – and I need to show that.
“This is the perfect way to gauge my progress. Fighting a two-time European champion – it’s not a vacant title – seasoned, only been stopped twice. This is it. This is the entry into that world level – and on a big stage as well.”
Riley said that he received “four other” offers from rival promoters before signing with MF Pro – Saturday’s promotion is their first of significance since MF Pro entered the British fight market – and while it is known that Matchroom were one of the promoters he rejected, he said it was MF Pro’s determination to work with him that convinced him that it was with them, and in professional boxing, his future lied.
“MF Pro wanted me enough and some more,” he said. “The energy was ‘We understand who you are – and we’re gonna treat you like who you are’. Other offers I’ll not disrespect. The urge – I didn’t get a sense of… why would I sign with that? It doesn’t make any sense – it makes more sense for someone like me to go where I’m gonna be invested into when I start the next part of my career and MF Pro will help me do that, and I’m gonna help myself do that with my performances.
“I truly like competition. Me and my cousin are playing Fifa – he’s way better than me. I’d rather him smoke me to nil because he was trying than let me win. I’m not built like that – I’m here for competition. I think that’s why I’ve made all the decisions I’ve made in my career. We’re calculated and we understand it’s a business but I always try and put myself in a position where I truly know how good I am and how good someone else is.
“At one point [regarding Misfits] I was like, ‘This is crazy – I’m getting mad amounts of followers, money’s looking good, I don’t get hit in the face. This is looking amazing.’ Then, in my core, I was like, ‘You was here to throw hands yourself,’ and I’m glad I made that decision because look at me now.
“A couple of times I’ve laid down in bed and thought, ‘Yo, I could have done that one day – I could have made that move,’ but my integrity, and knowing what my calling is, and I had to lead into that, rather than immediate satisfaction.
“It’s important. I’m a competitor. I like competition. I like to be able to say, ‘I done it better than…’ It won’t be the main focus in my brain on the day. I just know, based on how we’re preparing and the game plan I’m gonna bring, I’m gonna do it better – ’cause of how I box.”
