Viddal Riley has been dubbed a ‘waste of time’ by Luke ‘The Duke’ Watkins in regards to a prospective fight between the British cruiserweight rivals.
Watkins previously held the Commonwealth cruiserweight title from October 2017 to June 2018 when he surrendered the belt in defeat to Lawrence Okolie.
The 32-year-old is on a three-fight win streak after being out-pointed by Isaac Chamberlain in October 2018, most recently stopping Iain Martell in July.
Riley, who carries an impressive social media following by way of his YouTube success, has made strides in his professional career over the last year and is currently gearing up for his fourth fight of 2022 on the November 12 bill at the AO Arena in Manchester.
“These people are a waste of time,” said Watkins. “I’m interested in the winner of the British or beyond that.
“I’m not here to entertain the low level fighters who need my name for clout.”
Riley has regularly outlined his desire to remain consistent in the ring following two years of frustrating inactivity, and is hopeful of fighting more than four times next year amid his pursuit of title contention.
The 25-year-old is coming off a highlight reel first-round knockout win over Jone Volau and has his sights set on the top of the cruiserweight division.
“It’s a very exciting division, the cruiserweight division is the best division in Britain,” Riley told the Toe2Toe podcast. “To be part of it, this is why I’m on this journey, I was born to do this, to be a part of this.
“The fact this division is so hot right now gives me the opportunity to showcase my skills against people who are respected and getting those wins makes it easier for the whole YouTube baggage to get a bit lighter.
“With that level of competition you can’t doubt me once I’m winning those fights. They will come at the right time, but of course I believe I can win those fights, I’m happy to be a part of it.”
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Viddal Riley floors Jone Volau with a huge left-hand punch in the opening round of their cruiserweight contest.
Riley, who is 6-0 and currently ranked 15th among UK cruiserweights, says he is aiming to have picked up a belt “of some kind” by the end of 2023.
He believes he is well on his way towards proving he is worth far more than his social media exploits.
“Yeah I may have a big social presence but I have things I need to achieve and things I set out to do and that involves in the ring, and picking up certain belts and being part of this mix,” he explained.
“I already know I’m more marketable than everybody, that’s cool, that’s one box ticked. But what’s going to satisfy me is the ring results.
“I didn’t set out to be a YouTuber, I didn’t set out to live off social media, I set out to box. Everybody on the outside will be like ‘ah you’ve got a million subscribers’, my life is I want these belts, I want to win these fights, I want to be respected as an individual as a boxer and I embrace the social thing as a bonus.”