Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) picked up his first world title on February 21 when he dropped defending champion Mario Barrios en route to a wide points win at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

It was a career best performance by the 27-year-old Californian, who moved to No. 4 in The Ring’s 147-pound rankings as a result.

But Riley believes Garcia’s victory also provided a watershed moment in the era of so-called ‘crossover boxing’ given the new champion’s gargantuan online following was cultivated on social media.

“I wrote a Tweet that said he was the first YouTuber/Streamer boxing world champion,” Riley said. “I think it was misunderstood.

“I was stating that you can call Ryan Garcia that because he's someone who had an extensive amateur background, ended up making videos on Vine, TikTok and got a crazy amount of followers. He wasn't taken seriously and now he's a WBC world champion.

“So I thought it's fair to say that Ryan Garcia is the first streamer/YouTuber boxing world champion and I think in due time I'll probably be the second because I always feel like it's me and Ryan that do similar things.”

Like Garcia, the young Riley was a stand-out amateur who was tipped for the top in the professional game but his path was altered by YouTube gaming star KSI, who employed him as his boxing coach. That meant Riley’s own career took a backseat but his profile grew massively in crossover circles.

“Ryan Garcia does it on a bigger scale and in the States,” Riley says. “But our routes are similar in terms of we are serious but we do choose to mix with these guys because it makes sense for us and it makes sense for the direction the world's heading.”

Riley (13-0, 7 KOs) has been a professional since November 2018 but, with just 62 rounds in nearly eight years, the 28-year-old had struggled for regular activity with his previous promoters Boxxer.

His final fight with them came back in April, when he successfully defended his British cruiserweight title against Chev Clarke at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on the undercard of the first fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn.

Since then, he has penned a deal with MF Pro, the new promotional company founded by his former PT client KSI, becoming the fledgling outfit’s first major signing. Having previously spoken about wanting to distance himself from the influencer side of boxing, it seemed like a direct move to realign himself with it.

Riley said: “When MF Pro came to me at first, I said ‘no I'm not doing it’. Do you know how hard I've worked to not be looked at in this way? I'm not doing it. 


“I had been trying to prove a point that I was a proper boxer first, and now I think I’ve proven that point in the ring. It was just the way that it couldn't be shaken that I spent time with KSI and Jake Paul and Logan Paul and it's like people just wouldn't let it go. It was just like a stain like you couldn't get rid of.


“So instead of trying to always squeeze into a room where you don't feel like you're fitting in, a room was created for me at MF Pro that is pretty much my room. It feels like the perfect place for me.

“It's so hard to explain but I guess from having the amateur career that I had and then somehow ending up in the YouTube world with KSI, with all these names but still wanting to be a traditional boxer and still follow my lifelong goal.


“Now we can have a company like MF Pro which is like the perfect synergy between the two sides. There is no better place for me and my journey than MF Pro.”


His first fight under the new banner takes place on April 4 at London’s O2 Arena when he challenges Mateusz Masternark for his European title. The Ring’s No. 9-rated cruiserweight believes it will be the first fight where he will be known more widely for his fighting than his relationship with KSI.

“I’m a boxer now,” he says. “I’m not KSI’s trainer anymore.


"That switch took a while and whenever anyone does call me KSI’s trainer I know that they haven’t seen me since that last era. I did lose my identity for a while, I was KSI’s trainer for a long time and I didn’t have a name for a long time.


“I think the switch only really happened after the Chev Clarke fight at Tottenham. It had been building before that but after being on the Eubank-Benn card at Tottenham for the British title was like the final stamp that, yeah, he’s a real fighter.”