Popular YouTubers JJ ‘KSI’ Olatunji and Jake Paul have been hinting at a potential clash inside the boxing ring, but will it happen? Here’s what we know so far.
YouTube boxing has come on leaps and bounds ever since KSI decided to step into the ring with his then-rival Joe Weller back in 2016. Since then, the British YouTuber has been at the forefront of the crossover between content creators and the Sweet Science.
He’s fought Logan Paul twice – once as an amateur and another as a fully-fledged professional – drawing in millions from ticket sales and pay-per-view buys across both bouts. Yet, he now looks to be on a collision course with Logan’s brother Jake after he managed to style his way to a first-round knockout victory over AnEsonGib in Miami, Florida.
Even though the pair haven’t come to blows yet, they have been intertwined during their respective boxing bouts. Jake initially fought KSI’s brother Deji before becoming Logan’s hype man for the second bout.
After KSI took down Logan, Jake has seemingly been hell-bent on taking revenge. He’s talked a few times about getting into the ring with JJ and, prior to defeating Gib, the Paul brothers claimed that he has to do everything possible to beat KSI – simply to put some pride back on the family name.
Would that ever be possible though? Well, KSI laid down the gauntlet that he would fight Jake just so long as he managed to beat Gib – so, the American has already held up his side of the bargain.
KSI and Jake Paul square off
It also seems as if it could be coming together, with Jake and KSI squaring off following his win over Gib – with the pair having to be held back form each other after the Paul brother claimed he would be the “A Side” on any fight, the honor that usually goes to the bigger name.
Of course, as of now, that’s all bluster and bravado seeing as there hasn’t been any talk about where a fight would be held or when it would even take place.
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Does this confirm @KSIOlajidebt and @jakepaul is next? pic.twitter.com/DxUizXgKNX
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 31, 2020
Where could KSI vs Jake Paul happen?
In his three boxing fights, KSI has split his bouts between the UK and America, fighting once in Manchester, another in London, and a further one in Los Angeles. As for Jake, he has fought in both London and Miami.
Now, if they do decide to square off, it’ll more than likely come via a Matchroom Boxing event – which, again, split time between the UK and USA. In the immediate future, they have events lined up for Frisco and Manchester but they are both filled out and would come too soon for Jake and KSI.
There would have to be some consideration about the audience, too, taking into consideration what would be best to maximize viewers, ticket sales, as well as pay-per-view buys. That could very well be on the east coast of the USA – tossing up classic boxing towns like New York, Philadelphia, or even slightly more midwest with Chicago.
Seeing the waves that the pair have made in getting YouTubers into professional boxing, it’s probably best to not doubt them and to just wait and see what comes next in terms of actually fighting.
Who knows, we could have another KSI vs Paul fight on our hands by the time the summer of 2020 rolls around, or we could be waiting for over a year as we did with KSI vs Logan.