YouTube star KSI knocked out his opponents Swarmz and Luis Pineda during his ‘2 fights 1 night’ boxing event on August 27. Here’s everything that went down during the influencer fight night.
After initially announcing his return in May, KSI finally pinned down an opponent — Alex Wassabi, an influencer he’d brushed off as too insignificant for his time in years past.
Unfortunately, this match-up wasn’t meant to be. Just weeks before fight night, Alex dropped out of the bout, forcing KSI to pick his back-up opponent, Swarmz… and later, another additional opponent, pro boxer Ivan Nikolov.
But fate intervened once again as Ivan Nikolov was removed from the card and replaced by a boxer from Mexico, Luis Alcaraz Pineda. Here’s how things shook out.
Contents
- Fight Results
- KSI vs Swarmz Recap
- Who is Swarmz?
- Who is Luis Pineda?
- Who is Ivan Nikolov?
- Why was Ivan Nikolov removed from the KSI fight?
- Where to watch KSI vs Swarmz
- Who is on the KSI vs Swarmz fight card?
Fight Card & Results
Round | Matchup | Winner | Condition |
---|---|---|---|
Main Event | KSI vs Swarmz | KSI | KO (10 count) |
Undercard | Deen the Great vs Evil Hero | Deen the Great | KO (10 count) |
Undercard | Sam Hyde vs IAmThmpsn | Sam Hyde | KO (10 count) |
Undercard | Salt Papi vs Andy Warski | Salt Papi | KO |
Undercard | King Kenny vs FaZe Sensei | King Kenny | Majority Decision |
Undercard | Deji vs Fouseytube | Deji | TKO |
Co-Main Event | FaZe Temperrr vs Slim Albaher | Slim | KO |
Main Event | KSI vs Luis Pineda | KSI | KO |
KSI vs Swarmz recap
With zero boxing experience and less-than-impressive physique, the announcers made it clear they didn’t expect much from Swarmz during the first bout of the night. But Swarmz swore he would shock the world, comparing himself to Mike Tyson.
However, Swarmz’s inexperience was his downfall. The UK rapper spent the entirety of the first match running away from KSI, twirling and stumbling around the ring. While he did manage to run into the second round, he ran out of mileage at the start of Round 2.
Swarmz would take a left hook to the face, tripping and falling onto the mat. He then looked to his corner for an escape, and the match was called 28 seconds into the second round.
Deen the Great vs Evil Hero recap
Fighting for the title of ICB North American Welterweight Champion, Evil Hero stepped into the ring as the underdog. And after a few decisive blows from Deen the Great, Evil Hero went down for the third time and couldn’t regain his composure before the 10 count.
However, the highlight of the match came after the final bell when Deen attempted a backflip. He miscalculated his celebration and landed straight on his face hitting the mat harder than Swarmz in the first fight.
Sam Hyde vs IAmThmpsn recap
Sam Hyde, aka The Candyman, stepped into the O2 arena for his boxing debut. He would face IAmThmpsn in the evening’s only Heavyweight fight. But with a character like Hyde in the ring, the outcome of the third match was anything but predictable.
Before the fight, Hyde revealed his biggest weakness was blowing through his energy too quickly. And after a big swing and a miss in round 1, the Irish Giant already started to look gassed. Taking his foot off the gas, he allowed IAmThmpsn to start his offense.
However, but it quickly became apparent that IAmThmpson was a one-trick pony. He continuously threw right overhand punches, with commentators begging for Thmpsn to pull a different move out of his arsenal.
Despite his predictability, Hyde wasn’t able to counter this endless volley of right hooks. And by the end of round two, both fighters became sluggish and resorted to throwing slow lazy punches failing to knock each other off their feet.
That was until round three when Hyde found a way to break through Thmpsn’s defense. Three massive blows put Thmpsn on stilts, with the referee calling the fight after two standing eight counts.
Salt Papi vs Andy Warski recap
After his impressive debut during the US vs UK boxing event earlier this year, Salt Papi returned to the ring to put on another show. And that he did! Salt Papi came out of the gate firing deadly punches at his opponent.
And in just a few short seconds, Salt Papi broke through Andy Warski’s defenses and knocked his opponent to the floor. All it took was a four-punch combo and two massive blows to seal the deal.
King Kenny vs FaZe Sensei recap
King Kenny returns to the ring after a loss (first ruled as a win) against FaZe Temperrr earlier this year. Taking on another member of the FaZe Clan, and with a record of 1-1, Kenney sought revenge on the org that eluded his fists once before.
Believed to be the most skilled matchup of the night, Sensei came out hot delivering a big blow to Kenney early in round one. But after an eight count to regain his composure, Kenney began to show his technical prowess waiting for openings and landing a series of jabs.
The end of round one and the first half of round two saw an absence of punches and an abundance of footwork. Commentators struggled to come up with words to describe the lack of action in the ring.
FaZe Sensei exploded into round three delivering another series of heavy blows, but the momentum was once again demolished by the referee. And a near identical lack of action was repeated to close out the third round.
King Kenny needed a knockdown to secure the win as the first three rounds were very clearly in FaZe Sensei’s favor. But as the clock ticked down and the final bell sounded to signal the end of the match, the judges were finally able to put their pens to work.
Despite an explosion of intensity during the final seconds, the underwhelming bout saw a surprising winner in King Kenny. Reminiscent of Kenny’s win against Temperrr earlier this year, the commentators couldn’t believe the outcome.
Deji vs Fousey Tube recap
Looking to finally prove he’s capable of a win, Deji stepped into the ring with Fousey. Claiming this fight would be an easy win, Fousey shocked spectators with his impressive physique.
Early in round one, Deji had Fousey on the ropes landing blow after blow looking more skilled than ever before. To say Fousey was struggling to make a connection would be an understatement. Hungry for a win, Deji dominated his bearded rival in round one.
Desperate to connect, Fousey swung wildly at the end of round one and into round two and would continue to eat punches for the duration of the second round. But toward the end of round two, Deji would find a devastating blow putting Fousey on the mat. Luckily, the clock would run out saving Fousey from a premature end.
But it would only delay the inevitable. Deji would once again bring an unmatched level of intensity into round three where more decisive punches would end Fousey’s run earning KSI’s younger brother his first win.
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FaZe Temperrr vs Slim Albaher recap
After having to appeal the results of his last bout, FaZe Temperrr returns to the O2 to face off with Slim Albaher. Originally intended to fight Blueface, Slim stepped in as his replacement after months of relentless callouts aimed at Temperrr.
And Slim didn’t waste any time coming out of his corner and closing the distance faster than any fighter had yet. Both Temperrr and Slim were able to land a number of blows in round one, with Slim drawing blood from his opponent.
Round two would see both fighters at war with one another, but it wouldn’t last long for Temperrr. With a crazed look in his eye, Slim would come alive and lead decisive blow after decisive blow until finally landing the one that would send Temperrr to the floor.
While quick to stand to his feet, the referee called the fight as Temperrr was in no state to continue. An upset that would rattle the stadium as ‘The Hitman’ secured another mark.
KSI vs Luis Pineda recap
After a night filled with exciting fights, going into KSI’s main event fight felt a bit dull. His “faceless” opponent Luis Pineda was coming off of four straight losses, and he would be the third replacement fighter for KSI following a bow out (Alex Wassabi) and forced removal (Ivan Nikolov).
Despite being the main event, commentators spent the night claiming KSI would easily knock out Pineda in the first round or early in the second round. But Pineda claimed his Mexican heart and fire would be the edge he needed to take down the ‘Nightmare’ KSI.
And the fight lived up to its expectations. KSI delivered an arsenal of body blows to Pineda sending him to the floor multiple times during the first round. Despite Pineda’s endless complaints throughout the match, KSI continued with his ruthless assault.
Somehow, Pineda managed to slip his way into round two even after throwing multiple tantrums in the ring. But Pineda continued to look like a deer in the headlights for most of round two. He was given two more chances to bow out in round two after he was sent to the floor twice, but Pineda returned to his feet ready to continue his punishment.
Once again, Pineda managed to elude the deadly fists of KSI long enough to make it into round three. But only a few seconds in, KSI sent him to the mat again. He bounced back up only to be returned to the mat a few seconds later ending the embarrassing performance once and for all.
Deemed the “least entertaining” match of the night, KSI won by KO in round three ending the event on a rather flat note.
Where to watch KSI vs Swarmz
Outside of attending the fight in-person, fans overseas can catch the fight on DAZN, a streaming service specifically for combat sports events.
Who is Swarmz?
Swarmz is a British rapper and former semi-pro football player, who KSI says was written into his contract as his backup rival, should something prevent Wassabi from fighting.
The UK rapper weighed in at 199 pounds, 20 pounds heavier than KSI, and one pound under the cruiserweight limit. Despite this difference, KSI claims he will only need one round to knock out the much heavier Swarmz and move on to Pineda.
Who is Luis Pineda?
Luis Alcaraz Pineda is a fighter from Mexico with a 2-5 record. He is the latest addition to the ‘2 fights 1 night’ event and is coming off of a four-loss record. He debuted in 2017 as a pro boxer.
He campaigns in the Super Lightweight division but weighed in at 179 lbs on August 26, one pound lighter than KSI. The YouTuber claims he will be able to knock out Pineda in two rounds.
Who is Ivan Nikolov?
Ivan Nikolov is a 43-year-old Bulgarian pro boxer. He’s a middleweight fighter with a 3-16-2 record.
KSI announced he would be fighting Nikolov on the same night as his bout against Swarmz, making this match one of the first of its kind in influencer-boxing history…. but unfortunately, this bout would also experience problems.
Why was Ivan Nikolov removed from the KSI fight?
Just a few days after announcing his second fight of the night against Nikolov, viewers noticed that the pro boxer had several racist tattoos — one of which read ‘white power’ in large lettering on his stomach.
In response to the backlash, Nikolov argued that his tattoos had “absolutely no relevance to an outdated opinion and simply refer to my own belief in my strength and power as an athlete.”
Nikolov was apparently removed from the event just a day later, claiming that DAZN had dropped him from the card. All advertisement featuring Nikolov has also been taken down.
KSI later addressed Nikolov’s removal in a YouTube video stating, “Yes, I’m still fighting two people. Ivan isn’t my opponent anymore. He has been removed. The matchmaker also got fired for allowing this to happen in the first place. But yes, my new opponent is faceless. Luis Alcarez Pineda.”
Who else was on the KSI vs Swarmz fight card?
The KSI vs Swarmz card featured several other influencer bouts, some of which were also shuffled around in light of Swarmz’s addition to the event.
- FaZe Temperrr vs Slim Albaher
- Deji vs Fouseytube
- King Kenny vs FaZe Sensei
- Sam Hyde vs IAmThmpsn
- Salt Papi vs Andy Warski
- Deen the Great vs EvilHero
Now, KSI is back to winning ways, he’s already called out a few potential opponents including Andrew Tate and Tommy Fury.
Plus, KSI also has his eyes set on Jake Paul as an opponent in 2023 for a superfight.