Riley Ready To Join Opetaia, Benavidez Among Cruiserweight Elite
Viddal Riley is on a mission to establish himself as one third of the cruiserweight “Three Kings.”
Riley (14-0, 7 KOs) is ranked No. 7 by The Ring and is waiting for his first shot at a world cruiserweight title after the IBF mandated him and David Nyika to fight for its vacant belt. But with discussions around that fight still ongoing, Riley decided to face the mandatory challenger for his European title, Seydi Coupe, in the interim.
The pair are scheduled to meet November 14 at OVO Arena Wembley in London, in what is Riley’s first main event.
The 29-year-old Riley hopes an impressive victory will maintain his steady march toward the top of the division, where Jai Opetaia and David Benavidez, the respective Ring champion and No. 1 contender, currently lie in wait.
“What I see is, in the next 12 months, the names that need to be discussed in this division is mine, Jai Opetaia and David Benavidez,” Riley told The Ring. “Those will be the three names people are talking about when it comes to the best of the division.
“We want the purists, we want the streets, we want everybody to start having an opinion and mixing those three names together. So, if that is achieved in the next 12 months then I’ll be where I want to be.”
Riley’s pursuit of the vacant IBF title has been slowed down by Opetaia’s decision to file a lawsuit against the sanctioning body in July in a Nevada federal court. The undefeated Australian reportedly filed a 123-paragraph complaint after he was stripped of the belt before his clash with Brandon Glanton in what was his Zuffa Boxing debut March 8.
With that dispute ongoing, both Riley and Nyika have been left in limbo. The Englishman is not prepared, though, to sit on his hands.
When asked when he expects an update on the situation, Riley replied, “Where’s the end of the rainbow, brother? You just don’t know, things seem to change all the time, dates change all the time. It’s really out of my control. When it first happened, obviously you get that initial frustration. I’m supposed to be fighting for the world title. What's going on?
“And then you realize I can’t even put my energy here. I have to place my energy into my career and not what’s happening with a sanctioning body. But just know that I’ve earned the position to fight for it when everything is sorted. So, yeah, it’s just one of those ones you’ve got to let go.”
Instead, Riley and his promoters at MF Pro have decided to keep him busy by facing France’s Coupe (14-0, 9 KOs).
“I don’t look at this as a keep-busy fight,” Riley said. “It’s a genuine defense of my title. It’s not someone that I’ve handpicked, either. This is being ordered by the EBU, so it’s my job to defend this title, show that I’m above European level and literally want to get into the world scene.
“That’s the objective, is to get into the world scene and get into that conversation with the two main men of the division as quickly as possible.”
BARRETT/GWYNNE ON OCTOBER 2?! 
#BarrettGwynne will be Zelfa Barrett’s first fight with @MFProBoxing @IntBoxingNews understands that Zelfa Barrett vs Gavin Gwynne will take place in November and NOT on October 2.
