Viddal Riley made the point he has always wanted to, that there is more to him than fame and a social media following – that he is a real fighter – on his biggest stage yet.

Riley has been dubbed an influencer, and working as a trainer for KSI on the celebrity’s fighting escapades might have expanded Riley’s brand, but perhaps meant him being taken less seriously as a boxing prospect in his own right.

Not after Saturday night. He convincingly defeated Cheavon Clarke to claim the British cruiserweight title, winning their 12-round contest by margins of 117-111 – which matched BoxingScene's score –  116-112, and a too close 115-113.

Riley, 13-0 (7 KOs), from Tottenham, London and fighting in the stadium of the soccer team he supports, has never looked better and one wonders what his ceiling might be. The former Team GB amateur Clarke is 10-2 and the Kent-based Jamaican's reputation and career require rebuilding.

Riley’s hand speed was the difference in the opening frame. His right hand crept around the side of Clarke’s guard with some regularity but “C4” countered well on occasion in the second.

Riley had a composed and relaxed look about him. He tried to step to the side – his right – and fire off the right hand over Clarke’s jab in the second and he caught Clarke, an ex-Olympian, with a flashy left hook in the third.

Riley’s more lucid footwork gave Clarke a sluggish look. He couldn’t get the range he needed to let his heavier shots go. Yet Riley also stayed in the pocket too long near the close of the third round and was nailed with a right hand for doing so.

As the fight wore on, it looked like the 34-year-old Clarke’s window to the pinnacle of the sport was starting to close.

He needed to apply pressure and he needed more urgency about his work, but Riley’s feet presented him with problems and the Londoner’s fast hands also gave him a lot to consider before plotting his own attacks.

After the fourth, Riley’s promoter Ben Shalom rose to applaud his man’s work as former fighters Billy Joe Saunders and Kell Brook took their seats at ringside and, in the next frame, Clarke invested to the body, and that seemed to have an effect straight away. Riley began to use the ring more and he kept his hands lower than previously, protecting his midsection, but Clarke – with Virgil Hunter in his corner – might have found a chink in Riley's armor.

As with the first fight of the night, between Chris Billam-Smith and Brandon Glanton, the sponsor logo in the ring center caused the fighters to slip and the work was often untidy.

Riley was able to telegraph Clarke’s punches as he tried to load up and again Clarke slipped on the canvas in a moment that made it look like Clarke had been hurt.

In the ninth, the action had to be paused for the referee to dry the logo with a towel, but it was ominous about what might lie ahead for the bill that is headlined by the Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn grudge match.

Clarke’s power made him a constant threat, but his inability to get close and to land anything with that power behind it meant he was running out of time.

Any big shot he threw tended to look more desperate, whereas Riley, who had never boxed 12 rounds before, impressed through the 10th – a session that involved both tumbling to the deck in a heap with around a minute to go.

In round 11, both scored with right hands at the bell – Riley while moving back and Clarke as he chugged forward.

Riley had a confident look about him. He took some right hands but was generally rolling out of trouble as they landed, thus undermining their potency. That was not the case when Clarke rattled him with a big right in the last 30 seconds of the fight, but Riley made it through, and earned his clear decision.

Riley has long wished to be taken seriously as a fighter. He was a good amateur and he’s won 10-round fights for the English title, which he always said showed he was more than just a social media influencer. With the Lonsdale Belt in his collection, he has made his point once more.