Boxing
Keys to Victory: Where will Viddal Riley-Mateusz Masternak battle be won and lost?
BUY HERE: Chisora vs. Wilder DAZN PPV - TONIGHT
Viddal Riley believes it is his time at cruiserweight and that he will prove it against battle-tested veteran Mateusz Masternak tonight at London’s O2 Arena, and exclusively live on DAZN PPV. The bout will serve in chief support to the Derek Chisora vs. Deontay Wilder headliner.
A statement victory over Masternak could inch the undefeated Riley (13-0, 7 KOs) closer to a cruiserweight world title opportunity. The British fighter enters tonight’s co-main event coming off a sharp unanimous decision win over Cheavon Clarke last April in his only bout of 2025. Meanwhile, Masternak (50-6, 33 KOs), who at 38 is 10 years Riley’s senior, will be looking to stretch his win streak to four fights. The Polish fighter produced a seventh-round KO of Joel Tambwe Djeko in October.
During the weigh-in Friday, Riley referred to Masternak as the "biggest challenge of my career, but it’s my job to make it look like it isn’t and I’ll do that."
Will Riley notch the most significant win of his pro ledger toward more fruitful opportunities? Or will Masternak's experience hand Riley his first loss? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both cruiserweights entering their pivotal battle tonight.
Viddal Riley’s Keys to Victory
Establish jab with speed
Viddal Riley has a crisp jab, which could allow him to dictate the terms of an action-packed fight with Mateusz Masternak as long as he establishes the weapon with speed.
If Riley effectively does this, he could control the distance and start to fold in pot-shots that rack up points against the gritty veteran.
Punch in traffic to use Masternak’s aggression against him
Masternak is 10 years older than Riley, but really lets his hands fly. Therefore, Riley would be aided in turning Masternak’s aggression against him by punching in traffic.
When he senses an incoming Masternak, Riley must greet him with a counter jab or uppercut right through the guard. Riley threw these punches in traffic pointedly against Cheavon Clarke and should have open lanes to be successful blasting Masternak with them too.
Wrap hook around Masternak’s guard
Watch Riley work closely and he does an excellent job of wrapping hooks around his opponent’s guard right at the apt moments.
This could come within the natural flow of his offense or as a counterpunch from Riley who sits on the hook well to leverage impact.
The punch could spell the difference in Riley passing his hardest test to date or not.
Mateusz Masternak’s Keys to Victory
Split Riley’s guard early with accuracy
A good sign from the veteran Mateusz Masternak tonight would be whether he can split Viddal Riley’s guard early and consistently.
Achieving this would spell that Masternak’s accuracy is an effective way to combat Riley’s hand speed.
It would also be his best agent in initiating combinations.
Do not telegraph shots
There are times, especially when working from the distance, that Masternak telegraphs his punches, leaving him vulnerable to counters.
He cannot let this happen against Riley who will make the Polish fighter pay with slicing retorts.
By all means, Masternak must let his hands go, but ensure that he is not being too obvious to the punches he is throwing.
Crank up the volume
Considering Riley’s punching patience and potshot ability, Masternak would be wise to crank up his output in attempt to overwhelm the British cruiserweight.
Masternak can try to see if pressure by volume can help to take Riley out of his element and drown him out in deep waters.
Watch Chisora vs. Wilder only on DAZN
Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder square off tonight, April 4, exclusively on DAZN PPV. Buy as a one-off PPV or get this, Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9) and Usyk vs Verhoeven (May 23) PPVs all included with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription for £24.99/$44.99 per month.
