Viddal Riley defends his European cruiserweight belt against unbeaten mandatory challenger Seydi Coupe on Saturday night at the OVO Arena, Wembley, live on DAZN.

The 29-year-old is 14-0 with seven knockouts, ranked number two by the IBF and European champion since April 2026. A win keeps him on course for the shot he was built around from the start, long before anyone outside amateur gyms had heard of him.

That career started at six years old and ran through eight amateur titles for Team GB. Riley turned professional in Tijuana in 2018.

Sparring at the Mayweather gym

The KSI connection arrived at 19, when the YouTuber was introduced to serious training. Riley cornered him for the Joe Weller amateur bout and both fights with Logan Paul, and when Floyd Mayweather Sr took over the camp in Las Vegas, Riley flew out with him.

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He packed his own gloves.

“I took it as an opportunity to showcase my abilities even though I was there as his trainer,” he told the BBC.

Sparring at the Mayweather gym with ranked professionals ended with a Mayweather Promotions contract of his own.

Not just a trainer

The crossover exposure made Riley a recognisable name; it also kept trying to shrink him into one. He has told the BBC he refuses to be labelled only as the man who helped a famous amateur get through four rounds.

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“I didn’t do all that hard work from such a young age to just be known as a trainer of a famous person,” he said.

In December 2025 he signed with MF Pro, the professional offshoot of the Misfits brand KSI co-founded. Riley has been emphatic that MF Pro is not celebrity boxing, and that he is not on that circuit.

The Coupe test and the IBF route

Coupe is 14-0 with nine knockouts and arrives as the EBU-mandated challenger. Riley has not treated the bigger stoppage number as a threat.

“He’s knocking out nobodies. I’m actually fighting challengers, champions, taking belts from people,” he told DAZN this week.

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The route past Coupe runs through the IBF. Jai Opetaia vacated the belt after moving to Zuffa Boxing, and Riley sits as the next sanctioning-body contender in line, with legal wrangling over the mandatory process still working through the governing body.

Before any of that matters, there is the man in front of him. Riley has told the BBC he will not let his mind drift past Saturday.

Ringwalks for the 12-round main event are scheduled for around 10pm local time at Wembley.

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