British cruiserweight Viddal Riley has announced plans to defend his European title against Frenchman Seydi Coupe next month after a legal lawsuit derailed his hopes of fighting for the vacant IBF belt.
Former BOXXER star Riley, who now fights under the Misfits banner, appeared to be in line to challenge David Nyika for the world title after Jai Opetaia was stripped of his strap.
The Londoner put himself in position for a crack at the IBF's biggest prize at 175lbs after producing a near punch-perfect display to overcome Poland's Mateusz Masternak; just days after the bout had been upgraded to an IBF eliminator following their decision to relinquish Opetaia of his belt.
However, the Australian's subsequent decision to file a lawsuit against the governing body for "conspiring against him", the IBF have opted against sanctioning the expected Nyika vs Riley fight,
That decision has paved the way for Riley to agree to a dust-up with Coupe, who is in mandatory position for a shot at his European championship after extending his record to 14-0 with a comfortable stoppage of Ervin Dzinic in May.
Riley's upcoming clash with Coupe is scheduled to take place at Wembley Arena on November 14 and will represent the first time the Briton will have headlined a major card.
"It’s Main Event Season," the 29-year-old said via a press release.
"It’s taken 14 wins and three professional titles to make it here, and I look forward to owning the moment.
"I am defending what’s mine as the EBU European champion, and I will put on a statement performance to show why I’m mandatory for the IBF, ranked No.7 [by] Ring Magazine and top 10 in three of the major world governing bodies."
