"Professional"Boxing match between the Kings of Online Controversy raises serious questions about the future of Professional Boxing
The second leg of the event dubbed "the biggest event in Internet history" will take place on November 9 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles as YouTube sensations KSI and Logan Paul face off in the boxing ring for the second time. Unlike the previous bout which ended in a controversial majority draw in August 2018, this match will be professional with neither competitor wearing headgear.
After winning his first amateur boxing match against fellow Brit Joe Weller in January 2018, KSI attempted to call out retired Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand to a boxing match after the former footballer started using boxing training as a means of managing his anger and stress. Ferdinand eventually did not take up the offer and so KSI had to settle for Paul who used the first bout as a means of redeeming himself in the eyes of the public following a major controversy in early 2018 where he was blasted for insensitivity after having filmed himself alongside a corpse in the Aoikigahara, Japan, A place which is known for being the place in Japan where many choose to end their lives.
Both personalities are no strangers to controversy and the match is bound to once again draw in millions of viewers given that KSI is one of the most popular YouTube personalities from the United Kingdom and Paul one of the most popular from the United States. Like his American counterpart, KSI has also previously courted controversy due to comments about women and mental health which were deemed insensitive.
The brothers of the duo, Jake Paul and Deji Olatunji faced off on the under-card of the last bout with the younger Paul eventually winning the scrappy encounter by T.K.O during the fifth round. Unlike the first event which featured other YouTubers on the under-card, this event will feature professional boxers with World Super Middleweight Champion Billie Joe Saunders due to defend his title during the event. Some boxing traditionalists are upset about what is happening as they feel that it is disrespect to the Sport to have a Champion boxer fight during the same event as two celebrities, especially with Saunders set to defend his title on the under-card of the event as is being reported by media.
Responding to criticism, Promoter Eddie Hearn said that the event will help new faces see "the greatness of our Sport". The event will definitely not be short of viewership. The first match between Paul and KSI generated over 2.25 million live views in addition to illegal streams which are believed to have surpassed 5 million. The official video of the match on YouTube has also since received more than 75 million views.
The outcome of the match will be hard to predict. KSI has more boxing experience than Paul and has training from professional British youngster Vidal Reilly which could serve him well. However, Paul is the more athletic of the duo and is also the more athletic of the duo, after having starred in wrestling during his teenage years.
Paul's lack of boxing experience was there to see during the first bout as even he himself admitted that he had to cling on in order to get a draw. However, he will be better this time given that he would have had more time to train.
It remains to be seen whether there will be good boxing on display during the match, but if one thing is certain, it will be an event filled with entertainment.