Jake Paul could end up fighting KSI's former coach Viddal Riley before he ever ends up facing his long-time YouTube rival, with the Brit's promoters keen to make a deal.
Standout amateur Riley found himself thrust into the YouTube boxing world when he trained social media stars KSI and AnEsonGib for their early fights and has amassed a considerable following for himself in the millions. And his promoter Ben Shalom, who runs BOXXER where the London native is signed, is keen to see him throw his hat in the ring for a fight with Paul.
Riley has previously intimated that he has little interest in pursuing the fight, but that he would gladly take the bout if it were offered, as well as the life changing money that would be on the table. And given they have similar 6-0 professional records, on paper it would seem to be a good match-up.
“We’d like to see him [ Jake Paul ] fight Viddal Riley, that’s something we’re focused on," Shalom told the Express of his interest in making the fight. "Viddal’s a proper boxer, is a similar weight division and has a YouTube background as well. It’s a great fight for Jake. Viddal wants to be taken seriously, his ultimate ambition is world titles. But it’s something that’s been mentioned.
"I think it’s something that we’ll try to contact his team about after this [Silva] fight and see if something can be done because I think Viddal ticks both boxes. Not only is he a huge sensation online but he’s also a very very good boxer, and a proper boxer, and a real boxer who is very young and should be taken very seriously. I think he represents the perfect step up and the perfect opponent but it’s something we won’t touch until after this fight [Riley competes next month in Manchester].”
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However, Riley is a very legitimate boxer with amateur pedigree including the Youth Olympics and a silver medal at the 2013 junior European championships. He is also a natural cruiserweight, where Paul is attempting to move down gradually to light-heavyweight where he will campaign against serious boxers after his latest outing with another MMA legend in Silva.
And the likelihood is that Paul would need a lot more time to be ready for a fight with a legitimate contender such as Riley, who is expected to take the traditional route to success in the paid ranks. He is set to fight on the November 12 BOXXER card in Manchester, which will serve as the opening act to Ricky Hatton's comeback exhibition bout.
Riley had previously entertained the idea of fighting Hasim Rahman Jr, who this summer almost ended up facing Paul at Madison Square Garden. But neither of those bouts happened, and the Brit's interest in facing a social media star is probably as low as it has been for the past few years.
