Exclusive: Viddal Riley Talks About Winning British Title, Fight vs Cheavon Clarke & His Future

As a child, Viddal Riley remembers sitting on his father, Derrick Riley's, lap while boxing was on TV. Not long after, he was able to stand and walk on his own and, naturally, his father taught him how to throw combinations.

From there, boxing imprinted on Riley.

"Because I was just sitting on his lap whilst he's watching boxing, it was just going into my brain," Riley told KO on SI. "At about two or three years old, he was like, 'Stand up and throw these combinations.' And then I threw something, then he said to my mom, 'There's people that are six, seven years old, if I asked them to do that, they couldn't do.'"

Viddal Riley with his father, Derrick Riley. | Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

That same child grew up to win the British cruiserweight title in his hometown of London, England, with his father as his trainer, achieving a goal he set for himself at just six years old. Riley (13-0, 7 KOs) outboxed Cheavon Clarke en route to winning a unanimous decision on April 26 on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home of his favorite soccer club, Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Winning the British title was a goal of Riley's from the moment he first put on a pair of gloves, and with him achieving that, the British cruiserweight champion feels he has cemented himself.

"It was a lifelong goal," Riley said. "I don't think many people say at six years old they want to do something and maintain that. For me to say that so early in life and then finally achieve it in my hometown against a fighter that supports the rival club on a historic show as well. It just felt like I've arrived."

After the decision was announced, the belt didn't stay in Riley's grasp long. He was quick to give it to his father, his mother and the rest of the team knowing the impact of the work they put in to help him prepare for that moment.

Viddal Riley lands a right hand against Cheavon Clarke | Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxin

"When I heard and the new, and the board gave me the belt and I wore the belt for the pictures and stuff, the first thing my mind thought was everyone that supported me on the journey needs to hold this belt. I gave it to my dad first, made sure I quickly went to my mom so she could hold the belt and then I was just giving it to the team.

It's a weird feeling. Obviously, I'm the fighter. I'm the main star, but at the same time, it was special to me to achieve what I achieved because of my team and my family. That makes me work that much harder."

The lessons Riley's father gave him were on full display as he stuck and moved to outwork and neutralize Clarke (10-2, 7 KOs) en route to winning his first title. He outlanded Clarke 147 to 107 in total punches and 82 to 67 in power shots, per CompuBox. The jab was also a key weapon for Riley, as he landed 65 jabs compared to just 39 for Clarke.

Congratulations, @isitril 👏

The new British Cruiserweight Champion with a UD win over Chev Clarke 🇬🇧👑

📝 116-112, 117-111, 115-113#ClarkeRiley | @DAZNBoxing | #EubankBenn | @RingMagazine pic.twitter.com/Eqoe9ARxHM
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 26, 2025

Riley did his best work in the championship rounds, connecting with 37 punches compared to just 21 for Clarke across the 11th and 12th rounds. That experience was invaluable for the now British cruiserweight champion and Riley proved to himself and others he was more than ready for the step up in competition.

"The main thing being doing 12 rounds for the first time in a 12-round fight against not just anybody, but someone who's the champion coming to win and just fought at a European level," Riley said. "Can you do the 12-rounder with someone like that and maintain and not fade? [Can you] keep the same intensity going? That's the main thing I think I learned about myself. As much as I believed I could do it, otherwise I wouldn't have been in the fight, you can say now I've done this."

Riley now has multiple options at his disposal coming off the win vs Clarke in a cruiserweight division that's back on the rise, years after the departure of former two-division undisputed champion and now unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Riley believes the division will soon hit a reset, and if everything falls into place, he plans to be at the center of that as he looks to move toward eventually fighting for a world title.

"It's definitely going to hit a transitional period very soon," Riley said. "I think I'll be a part of that transition, but there's some good, big fights for me. It's time for me to enter that new phase of my career. I want to see myself in the co-main event. I want to see myself in the main event. I want to see that new level activated, so I look forward to it. I look forward to finding out what's next."

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