Watch the moment Cheavon Clarke walks out to Arsenal anthem ‘North London Forever’ at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Viddal Riley defeat
This is the moment British cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke walked out to ‘North London Forever’ at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – before losing to a Spurs fan.
Hardcore Arsenal supporter Clarke couldn’t help but smile as the anthem played before matches at the Emirates blared out around the ground of their fiercest rivals.
But it was Viddal Riley, who follows Tottenham, who took the bragging rights after outpointing Clarke across a gruelling and slippery 12-round contest.
The unbeaten Riley even outfoxed his opponent while wearing Spurs’ white and navy on his shorts to claim the British cruiserweight title in style.
In the end, the scorecards read 116-112, 117-111 and 115-113, confirming Riley’s unanimous triumph in the biggest bout of his career at the home of his beloved team.
Both fighters struggled to keep their footing at points but tangled frequently in front of an enthralled crowd, with Riley edging his way into the ascendancy.
Arsenal supporter Cheavon Clarke used ‘North London Forever’ as his walk-out song
Clarke was outpointed by Viddal Riley at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night
Riley claimed the British Cruiserweight title wearing the colours of his beloved Spurs
Having got the better of Clarke over the opening exchanges and found his range, Riley looked to press home his advantage and boxed cleverly.
The bout was brought to a brief halt during the ninth for the floor to be mopped and the two men took another tumble the following round after a Riley hook.
Clarke had looked to bounce back from his first professional loss against Leonardo Mosquea in December but couldn’t outwhit Riley over the marathon contest.
Piling on the misery for the 34-year-old, ‘Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur’ rang around Spurs’ stadium as Riley was announced the winner.
The fight took place on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr’s showdown against Conor Benn – but it was Eubank Sr’s sensational reunion with his son which stole the headlines.
Eubank Sr, the former middleweight champion, insisted he would ‘never’ be in his son’s corner after branding him ‘disgraceful’ for hitting Benn with an egg during a press conference.
He even called for the bout to be cancelled over concerns the fighters were putting themselves at risk making weight, telling Mail Sport it was ‘against the law of boxing’.
But Eubank Sr shocked the sporting world when he emerged from the same car as his son at the stadium before shadow boxing with him during his preparations.
