Viddal Riley will be stepping through the ropes at the O2 Arena on Sunday night, where he'll be basking in the glow of the lights and the gaze of the cameras, bringing to his childhood dream to life.
But, it's not always been glitz and glam for the 26-year-old. He grew up in a 'difficult environment', lived under the watchful eye of his strict parents and thought about walking away from the sport due to financial restraints.
Speaking ahead of his fight with Mikael Lawal on Sunday night, Riley told Mail Sport: 'Tottenham was a very difficult environment to grow up in but a very close community.