Controversial YouTuber Logan Paul was set to participate in a “slap battle” in late May, which would have pitted him against some of Russia’s greatest slap champions – but he pulled out of the competition last minute, and now, he’s spilling the beans as to exactly why he backed down.
Paul uploaded a video to Twitter on May 22 that quickly went viral, showing him knocking an opponent unconscious with a single slap.
While many critics accused Paul of faking the video, he argued that the entire ordeal was completely legitimate, later giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what really went down the following month.
:wave::skin-tone-3: pic.twitter.com/gLXEymX2GV
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) May 22, 2019
Logan finally uploaded a video documenting his preparation for the slap battle on June 9, which included his consultation with Team Iron organizers and, of course, a Rocky-esque training montage (featuring Paul knocking the head off a ballistic dummy in a humorous show of strength).
The film later jumped to Paul’s meeting with professional slapper ‘SlapforCash,’ from whom Paul had hoped to receive coaching after delivering a test blow to the slapper’s face – a blow that ended up knocking him out cold.
Footage from the incident shows SlapforCash asking if Paul had actually slapped him after regaining consciousness, and what he’d slapped him with, prompting a few confused looks from those assembled.
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The YouTuber later admitted to his team that he was afraid of what might happen should he end up flying to Russia the next day, with his editor comparing the possibility to his debacle in Japan’s Aokigahara ‘Suicide Forest’ from 2018.
While Paul would later speak on this moment in a series of podcasts after the fact, his documentary on the battle shows the shocking aftermath of the slap, with Paul visibly seeming distressed at the damage he’d dealt to the slapper.
Logan also addressed his own brain damage in the video, which he’d discussed in a previous upload in late February, admitting that his doctor wouldn’t be happy with the slap competition but ultimately going forward with it (that is, until SlapforCash’s KO came about).
With the slap battle now defunct, Paul is set to face off against KSI in their November 2019 boxing rematch – although an exact date and venue have yet to be announced for the bout.