Viddal Riley could face Tommy Fury and Jake Paul in the future, boxing promoter Ben Shalom has claimed.
Unbeaten in his pro career, Riley, 24, will make his UK debut on the undercard of Amir Khan's grudge match against Kell Brook at the AO Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday night, taking on Willbeforce Shihepo.
The British cruiserweight prospect initially rose to fame after he trained YouTuber KSI - real name Olajide Olatunji - for both of his fights with Logan Paul.
He built a loyal fanbase of his own off the back of that and has been linked to super-fights against Fury and Paul as a result.
But Shalom, who has promoted Love Island star Jack Fincham in the past, insists he wants to be taken seriously as a fighter.
However, he did not rule out either Fury or Paul as potential opponents for Riley, but they are unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "It would be a big fight because of the massive followings that the guys have.
"Viddal has a big fan-base from YouTube and Tommy comes from the Fury family and made his own name on Love Island.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: British boxer Viddal Riley (R) and boxer AnEsonGib seen onstage during the Jake Paul VS. Anesongib press conference at Beauty & Essex on January 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
"I don't know whether the Jake Paul vs Tommy fight will still happen. I hope it does for Tommy.
"These fights are there for Viddal too.
"But he wants to go the traditional way. He is looking at the British title - where Richard Riakporhe, Mikael Lawal and Chris Billam-Smith already are.
"Viddal wants to mix it with them.
"He wants to be respected as a boxer, not an online personality.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 18: Jake Paul reacts to knocking out Tyron Woddley in the sixth round during an eight-round cruiserweight bout at the Amalie Arena on December 18, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
"But when you can do both? That's when the big fights really happen."
Unsurprisingly Riley is in full agreement with his promoter as he recently insisted he is perfectly happy taking it slow.
In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “There’s loads of different ways to make it to the top.
“We’ve seen Lawrence Okolie, who has had a rapid growth and a rapid progression, but that doesn’t have to be everyone’s journey.
“Some people take their time, I want to take my time, because I know that in the cruiserweight division, heavyweight division, you get better with age as well, you mature like a fine wine.
“I don’t want anyone to make excuses for me, I want to fight these guys, and let’s just see how it goes.
“Who knows, who knows? Chris Billam-Smith, if he continues on the path he’s on, he could be at world level in his next couple of fights.
“A lot of people compare me to the Billam-Smith’s, the Riakporhe’s, the Chamberlain’s of this world, because those are the big names right now in the division.
“But they’re also guys that have minimum, probably four years on me, they’re five years, even Richard is seven years older than me.
“So as much as I’m compared to these guys I may miss a lot of them, but a few may hang behind, a few may fall behind and end up crossing paths with me.
“To be honest I feel like that generation is ahead of me, but they are the best, and it’s always a compliment to be compared to the best fighters in the country in my division.”