Mams Taylor, the president of Misfits Boxing, is the latest to add a juicy storyline to the many influencer boxing narratives: on the True Geordie Podcast, he claimed Jake Paul agreed to fight KSI before then backing out.
KSI’s manager this week said Paul initially agreed to fight in a larger U.K. stadium before rejecting both suggested dates. The disagreements were centered around the undercard, a trivial beef, and a winner-take-all aspect to the fight, including production, which is a truly ridiculous ask.
After those were smoothed over, Paul allegedly backed out anyway. Taylor claimed the YouTuber cited a desire to “fight a bigger name” over another creator.
The Paul brothers and other Twitch and YouTube influencers were initially panned by hardcore boxing fans, who dubbed them unserious and said they were using the sport for clout. Then, something either funny or infuriating, depending on your point of view, happened; some of the influencers proved they could actually fight.
Jake Paul, who was formerly known for unfunny Vines and making music videos that qualify as weaponized cringe, is currently seven-and-one across eight fights since 2019. He’s still never been knocked out, with his one loss coming to Tommy Fury by decision.
Is Paul feasting on washed MMA stars and YouTubers? Sure, yeah, the strength of schedule isn’t the greatest. Still, a 7-1 record is far beyond what boxing fans expected, and beyond what some rabid Paul fans expected to boot.
KSI, by comparison, is undefeated, with four knockouts and one win by decision.
Boxing is a sport of egos, but it’s also a sport with a very strict time frame in which you can really compete. There’s a need to make money now, as opposed to later, and for influencers, their main jobs can give them the financial freedom to fight when and how they want. It’s certainly a loss for the sport, but I doubt this is going to hurt Paul or KSI’s bank accounts.
