YouTuber boxing exploded in 2021
Just five fights into his professional boxing career, Jake Paul was named Sports Illustrated ‘Breakout Boxer of the Year’ for 2021.
This is despite the fact he has no intention of competing for championships and that he isn’t rushing to fight established boxers.
And yet, love him or loathe him, there is no doubting he has made an indelible impact on the sport of boxing. He is a massive draw, packing out arenas and reportedly generating more pay-per-view buys than any non-heavyweight that isn’t Canelo Alvarez.
Paul told SI: “To think about how all the things that happened in the fashion that it all happened, it's just sort of mind-blowing.”
Paul is the face of internet stars taking on boxing, but he isn’t alone. Many boxing purists have met Paul’s emergence with disdain, but he doesn’t care. He’s making money, his audience is growing and as far as he’s concerned, this is just the beginning.
“It's going to be really hard to change the business model of boxing,” said Paul. “But I think at least what I'm showing is how someone can do it.”
Paul is not alone in being an online content creator moving into the world of boxing. KSI, who fought Paul’s brother Logan twice in big money showdowns, drawing once and beating him in the second, started a boxing promotion company in June, with the plan to “stage the world's biggest and best celebrity and crossover events.”
These events are also a lucrative market for betting operators – these top betting sites offer markets on these events similar to traditional boxing. There’s no two ways about it, this is more than just a fad and is here to stay.
KSI’s new company
YouTube sensation KSI, who made his name making FIFA videos and has amassed 23.6 million subscribers, making him one of the most popular YouTubers from the UK has moved away from just content creation on the streaming site in many different ways.
Since 2015, he has had a successful music career, and also had great success with his short lived boxing career.
He recently struck a deal with Wasserman Boxing and promoters Kalle and Nisse Sauerland alongside his management Proper Loud to create his boxing promotion company.
After the announcement, KSI said: "Since beating Logan Paul, I've been plotting my next move in boxing. Whenever I make a move, it's always big. I'm excited to announce that I have partnered with the Sauerland brothers, Wasserman Boxing and Proper Loud to create my own boxing promotion. Get ready for some incredible events featuring the biggest names from the world of sport and entertainment."
This company will be the next step in the world of the influencer and content creator/boxing crossovers we have seen gain popularity over recent years.
Mams Taylor, owner of Proper Loud, said: “It’s with great pleasure that we announce this link up between KSI, Proper Loud and Wasserman Boxing. The Sauerland brothers have great experience in creating big fight nights and together we’re going to set a new standard for events, reaching bigger audiences, and guaranteeing excitement and entertainment.”
Nisse Sauerland, Director of Boxing at Wasserman, said: “We’re delighted to partner with KSI and Proper Loud on this exciting new venture. We will bring decades of experience and expertise to deliver a new generation of fight fans with the highest production values and greatest match-ups in the world of celebrity and crossover boxing.”
Kalle Sauerland, Head of Global Boxing at Wasserman, said: “This is a major move for the boxing and entertainment industries. KSI is a mega-star with huge crossover appeal. He knows how to market himself and he knows how to sell events. He will bring a new audience to the sport of boxing.”
Are these fights a threat to boxing, or a gift?
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is a name known to even the most casual of boxing fans, and has proved himself as a very smart operator when it comes to boxing promotion.
The chairman of Matchroom Sports saw a chance to make money with influencer boxing, and was the first major boxing promoter to get involved with it, as he was responsible for brokering the date, venue, and purse for the second bout between Logan Paul and KSI.
However, he has since decided to step away, saying that “it was a bit cringe to be honest.”
In an interview with Jim White and Simon Jordan on TalkSPORT, he said: “I’ve been on that side when I did KSI vs Logan Paul. It’s a mad world and, since I did that fight, it seems like there’s a YouTube fight every week. I’ve tried to move a little bit away from that because I think boxing needs to stand up and be counted and the only way we can do that is to make great fights.
“Because if we don’t make great fights, what we’re seeing in terms of David Haye vs Joe Fournier, Jake Paul, Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul, will become much more regular, because they do rate. I’ve done that before, we had a bit of fun, it was a bit cringe to be honest.”
Hearn’s sentiment is one shared by many of boxing’s traditional fanbase that see influencer boxing as a real threat to the sport they love. There is an argument that these fights are giving a platform to people who haven’t trained their entire lives, and taking money and air time away from those people. The truth is, these fights do incredible pay-per-view numbers, and there are benefits to be had.
Jake Paul has been extremely outspoken in his support for women’s boxing and improving fighter’s pay since he took to boxing, both extremely worthy causes. Furthermore, these fights are getting new eyes on the sport, particularly the younger generation, and expanding the fanbase.
It is clear that the sport of boxing is going to have to learn to live with influencer fights, as they are not going anywhere. What it can do is actually embrace this new phenomenon, and who knows, we could one day be seeing Jake Paul fighting on the same card as Tyson Fury, something that would unite fans from all over the world.