Influencer-boxing promotion Kingpyn is coming under fire after sources claimed the company has allegedly failed to pay its fighters and event staff.
The world of influencer-boxing is only getting bigger with time. The trend first kicked off in 2018, thanks to the famous matches between Joe Weller and KSI, and KSI vs Logan Paul.
Now, the fad is more prominent than ever before, with KSI’s Misfits Boxing partnering with DAZN for a five-year contract that’s already seen a wealth of high-profile bouts.
Another promotion entered the fray more recently: Kingpyn, who notably held their ‘High Stakes’ influencer-boxing tournament over the course of several months this year.
Unfortunately, this tournament ran into trouble just before the semi-finals could get underway. In fact, the company had filed for bankruptcy, and it seemed as though the fighters who had trained so hard to compete in this leg of the tournament had made all that effort for naught.
Luckily, DAZN saved Kingpyn by acquiring the fight on their platform — but the promotion isn’t out of the woods just yet.
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Kingpyn accused of not paying fighters and staff
According to Happy Punch, multiple sources have claimed that Kingpyn has not paid a number of their fighters or event staff. That’s not all; Happy Punch also says that the company is unresponsive when approached with queries about this missing pay.
Combat sports YouTuber and commentator Wade Plem (aka The W.A.D.E. Concept) also spoke out on the subject, claiming he’s tried to handle the matter professionally to no avail. As a result, he’ll be publishing an expose of the company on his YouTube channel on Friday, August 25.
I have tried to handle things like a professional, but after weeks and now months with no communication and no answers, I've given chance after chance.Enough is enough, time to address this. https://t.co/tiZszhhvdV
— Wade Plemons (@WadePlem) August 24, 2023
This situation isn’t a new one in the influencer-boxing scene. In fact, it hearkens back to a strikingly similar instance that took place in 2021 after YouTuber Austin McBroom’s boxing promotion, Social Gloves, was accused of withholding payment from fighters.
A year later, McBroom resolved two lawsuits resulting from the drama in a $3 million settlement. It seems that history is repeating itself if these latest claims about Kingpyn are to be believed, leaving fans waiting on Plem’s YouTube video.