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While Lauding His Other Skills, Former Coach Remains Brutally Honest About KSI’s Declining Boxing Skills

Published 12/26/2023, 5:30 AM EST

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via Imago

Old trainer and friend Viddal Riley recently turned to social media to claim KSI’s boxing skills have gone downhill since he started fighting. The YouTuber-turned-boxer first entered the ring back in February 2018 against foe Joe Weller, winning the bout via third-round TKO. As a newcomer to the influencer boxing scene, still in its infancy, KSI trained with Riley.

The undefeated Viddal trained KSI even for the fights against Logan Paul but had to part ways to focus on his own career. Since they bid ado, Vidal has crafted himself a record of 10-0-0, whereas KSI has fought in seven bouts, albeit much bigger than Viddal’s. However, five years after their sensational entry into influencer boxing, Viddal claims JJ’s boxing skills haven’t improved while praising other aspects. 

Viddal Riley claims KSI was at his best during the Joe Weller fight

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Today, Riley shared a video on his YouTube channel, breaking down why he thinks JJ’s best performance was against Weller in 2018. As per Riley, KSI used his jabs and used the space to cut Weller during the fight. He goes on to say that JJ used the most fundamental aspect of boxing during the Weller fight when he trained JJ. However, since that fight, Riley claims there has been a decline in the 5-1-1 boxer’s skills. Despite that, the Hackney native praised KSI’s speed, power, athleticism and confidence. 

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“His best performance was against Joe Weller…The most you’ve ever seen JJ use the most fundamental punch in boxing and it’s a jab and that was when closer to when he first started and I was coaching him to fight Weller. Since then, there has been a decline in skill shown. He’s got faster, he’s got more powerful, he’s got more athletic, he’s got more confident. But I haven’t seen an improvement in boxing ability,” said Riley. While Riley reflects on KSI’s skills, he might also enter the ring with KSI’s long-time rival soon.

Riley responds to Jake Paul

On 15 December, Jake Paul defeated Andre August in the first round of their fight via sensational knockout. During the post-fight interview, ‘The Problem Child’ expressed interest in fighting KSI’s former trainer Viddal Riley. So, the Hackney native posted his response on TikTok, later shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Happy Punch.

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“If that’s his aspirations, mine are the same. Then, and we both weighing 200 pounds, then yes… that fight could happen down the line,” said Riley. He also added that if the fight happens, it would be the biggest fight “in boxing history.”

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Despite parting ways after the Logan Paul fight, KSI’s trainer has kept up with JJ’s progress in the sport of boxing. Do you think KSI’s boxing skills have tanked? Do you think the Paul vs. Riley fight could happen? 

Watch This Story: Jake Paul Sends Fight Offer To KSI But With A Catch

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Written by:

Sudeep Sinha

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One take at a time

The first time boxing captured my attention, it was because of a line I heard in the film 'Rocky Balboa', a film surrounding boxing. The line went like this, "But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
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Edited by:

Purva Jain