Jake Paul could end up fighting KSI's former coach before he faces his old YouTube rival, should he get past Hasim Rahman Jr.
Viddal Riley is the 25-year-old professional prospect who spent the early part of his time in the paid ranks juggling his own training with coaching YouTuber KSI, whose real name is JJ Olatunji, for his battles with Logan Paul. And while fans are clamouring to see Logan's brother Jake take on KSI, a win over Hasim Rahman Jr could end up seeing him in the conversation to fight Riley instead.
The London native has been pushing to do his career properly, leaving the Mayweather Gym to focus himself at home in Britain. He is signed with Sky Sports and Boxxer, and is considered a legitimately dangerous prospect in the paid ranks after a stellar amateur career.
And despite having always wanted to separate his own fighting career from the YouTube stars he coached, Riley could be drawn into a bout with Paul. The American will face 12-1 Hasim Rahman Jr on August 6 at Madison Square Garden, and will answer a lot of critics if he can land the victory.
"It's only right that with Jake taking on Hasim Rahman Jr as an opponent that we give him his respect," Riley said in a video for you YouTube channel. "Because honestly it's an opponent that could be mine."
In fact, when Riley pulled out of his fight with Rashad Coulter on the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr undercard in 2020, it was Rahman Jr who stepped in on late notice. He also had to pull out after testing positive for covid, but he and the Brit have been linked ever since, particularly while Riley was still in America.
"For Jake to be in there with an opponent that could be mine, there's only really two outcomes; win or lose," Riley continued. "There could be a draw, but I highly doubt it. If Jake beats Hasim Rahman Jr then the possibility of him being an opponent for me, of course, increases ten-fold. That's only logical sense, I can't sit here and say 'you know what, he's still not on my level,' because that's a bit arrogant and doesn't make logical sense.
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"I'm quite a logical person, so whether his name is Jake Paul and he has however million followers and started off as a fairy or a clown in the circus, once you fight someone who I could be in the ring with then I have to consider you as someone who could be a potential opponent."
However, Riley was keen to shut down any suggestion that he may want to pursue a fight with Paul, and the silliness that comes with it. The YouTuber has already baited the likes of Tommy Fury and Tyron Woodley into verbal battles with him, but the Brit would be a tougher nut to crack.
"I don't want to go into the realm of fighting Jake," he clarified. "Now that he's in this space, it's a fight that could happen, and if it's a fight that's offered it won't be a fight that I decline because at the end of the day, I'm a scrapper.
"I think JJ vs Jake is still the biggest fight in YouTube boxing history, and I don't think that will change. I don't want the paths to get crossed, or for him to say 'yeah, I'll fight Viddal before I fight JJ,' or anything like that, I want that fight to be in its own realm."
