KSI vs Logan Paul
The official poster for KSI vs Logan Paul.
The official poster for KSI vs Logan Paul.
Date25 August 2018
VenueManchester Arena, Manchester, England
Tale of the tape
Boxer KSI Logan Paul
Nickname The Nightmare The Maverick
Hometown Watford, England Westlake, Ohio, US
Pre-fight record 1–0 (1 KO) 0–0
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2]
Weight 187.2 lb (84.9 kg) 189.6 lb (86 kg)
Style Orthodox[1] Orthodox
Result
Six round majority draw
(58–57, 57–57, 57–57)

KSI vs Logan Paul was a white-collar amateur boxing match between English YouTuber KSI and American YouTuber Logan Paul. The undercard included several YouTubers, featuring a match between the younger brothers of the main event fighters, Deji Olatunji and Jake Paul.[3] The bout took place on 25 August 2018 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It was streamed on YouTube's pay-per-view platform[4][5] and ended in a majority draw, with two judges scoring it 57–57 and the other judge scoring it 58–57 in favour of KSI.[6]

The fight was promoted as "the biggest internet event in history"[7] and "the biggest amateur boxing match in history".[8] It sold 1.3 million PPV buys.[9] The rematch took place on 9 November 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, this time as a professional boxing match.

Background

KSI (left) was going into his second boxing match while Logan Paul (right) was making his boxing debut the night of the bout.

KSI's fight with fellow British YouTuber Joe Weller, another Upload Agency event, was viewed by millions. The fight took place on 3 February 2018 at the Copper Box Arena in London.[10] Joe Weller, who had never previously boxed as an amateur or professional, faced KSI. After KSI emerged as the winner and was awarded the YouTube Boxing Championship belt, an unofficial and unrecognised belt created for this event, he called out the Paul brothers, Jake and Logan.[11] Initially, KSI challenged Jake Paul, Logan Paul's younger brother, to a fight. However, Jake backed down, allowing Logan to step in and fight KSI. At the same time, Jake fought KSI's younger brother, Deji Olatunji, also known as ComedyShortsGamer at the time. Deji had reservations about fighting on the undercard, so it was agreed that the fight would be advertised with both Deji and Jake's names listed as a co-main event, ensuring equal importance for both pairs.

The two parties signed contracts for two fights, and on March 18 2018, the fight was officially announced with a trailer on KSI's YouTube channel. The first fight was scheduled for 25 August 2018 at the Manchester Arena in England,[12][13] and the second fight was planned for February 2019 in the United States. Originally, Logan and Jake Paul preferred a neutral venue, preferably Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but Logan ultimately agreed to the two-fight plan.[14]

During an interview with TMZ on 23 July 2018, KSI revealed his aspirations of turning professional after the fight. He stated, "I wanna squeeze out every bit of relevancy from him (Logan Paul) and then move onto my bigger goal which is to go pro".[15]

Press conferences

True Geordie commentated on the fight

Two press conferences were held to promote the fight. The first took place on 16 June outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles and was hosted by two-time heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs.[16]

The second press conference occurred on 18 July at York Hall in London. This time, it was hosted by YouTube personality True Geordie, who had provided commentary for the KSI vs Joe Weller fight.[14] During the London press conference, KSI and Deji ridiculed Logan, Jake, Logan's then-girlfriend Chloe Bennet, and his father Greg Paul to such an extent that both Paul brothers left the press conference prematurely.

Following the press conference, fans of KSI and Deji attacked Logan and Jake's rental cars, which were arranged by their friend and Las Vegas nightclub promoter Arman Izadi. Izadi threatened Deji with a lawsuit, accusing him of inciting the fans to attack the Pauls and challenging Izadi to a bare-knuckle fight. Deji denied these accusations and stated, "the attack resulted from other factors, including the fact that Greg Paul actually assaulted a fan first.”[17] Thereafter associates of Izadi would subsequently vandalise the gym that Deji trained in. Izadi admitted responsibility, prompting Deji to have officials for the event ban Izadi from attending.[18]

Weigh-in

KSI and Logan Paul facing off during the weigh-in

The weigh-in was held on 24 August 2018 and was co-hosted by the same host as the London press conference, True Geordie, as well as professional boxing announcer Michael Buffer. KSI weighed in at 187.2lb (84.9kg), 1.9kg heavier than his previous fight with Joe Weller.[19] Meanwhile, Logan Paul came in at 189.6lb (86kg).[20] KSI took part in the weigh-in wearing a mask of the face of Chloe Bennet, Logan's girlfriend at the time, in an attempt to taunt Logan and use psychological warfare.[21] For the co-main event, Deji weighed in at 174.4lb (79.1kg) with Jake Paul weighing in at 181.9lb (82.5kg).[22]

Card

On the fight's undercard, JMX was expected to fight TGFbro's Romell Henry, but Henry later pulled out due to injury and was replaced by HalalHam. It was later revealed that JMX would instead be fighting YouTuber and athlete Coach Richard; HalalHam faced off against Jrizzy Jeremy.[3]

AnEsonGib fought TGFbro's Jay Swingler on the event's undercard. Michael Philippou from Rackaracka also boxed Scarce and won by technical knockout.[3]

Fight details

Ticket information

The fight was held at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.[23] Tickets for the fight went on sale on 22 June after an announcement by KSI on his YouTube channel.[24] General admission tickets started at a price of £30 with the highest level package pricing at £495.[25] They had elected to go with Eventim UK for distribution of sales. Tickets made available priced from £30, £40, £50, £60, £80, £100, £150 and VIP £495. Although the event was jointly promoted by Upload Events, Maverick Media and OP Talent, Upload Events were the lead promoter of the fight.

Broadcasting

The fight was streamed on pay-per-view on YouTube, through a dedicated YouTube channel for the event.[5] The pay-per-view was priced at $10 in the United States.[26] However, the pricing received negative feedback from several fans, considering that KSI's previous fight with Joe Weller had been streamed on YouTube for free. The fight featured commentary from YouTube personalities: True Geordie, Joe Weller, and Laurence McKenna.[14] Additionally, the fighters were announced by the iconic ring announcer, Michael Buffer.[27]

Piracy concerns

Due to the event's high profile in the social and online world, along with the utilisation of pay-per-view instead of the usual free YouTube streaming, promoters became concerned about pirate streams of the fight.[28] In a video by Jake Paul,[29] he stated that "anyone who is planning on illegally streaming or torrenting the fight won't be able to as employees from Google and YouTube will be taking down and disabling streams all through the night." However, this did not dissuade fans from promoting illegal streams as a form of protest against the implementation of pay-per-view.[30]

KSI addressed the use of pay-per-view via Twitter stating, "The cost of the event itself is on another level to last time (the KSI vs Joe Weller fight). Plus the press conferences, weigh-in and making other content for the new channel, all adds up."[31]

After the fight, it was revealed that over 1.2 million people had watched pirated Twitch streams,[32] resulting in an estimated loss of pay-per-view revenue of approximately $8-10 million.[33][34]

Purses

The purse for the fight is split 50/50. Although official details haven't been revealed, there have been estimates of their potential earnings. According to one estimate, the total revenue is believed to be £150 million, including lucrative sponsorship deals that the pair signed, with KSI and Logan Paul each receiving up to £75 million.[35] Another estimate gives the potential earnings of KSI and Logan Paul at £30 million to £40 million each, from ticket sales, online views, sponsorship deals, and merchandise sales.[36] However, both KSI and Logan Paul have dismissed these estimates. KSI stated that his earnings are "a high amount, but it's nowhere near £40m" or £20 million.[37][38]

Belt

With the result being a draw, KSI retained the YouTube World Championship belt. An unofficial and unrecognised belt was created for this event.[39]

Officials and rules

  • Referee: Gareth Morris
  • Judges: Delilah Ponce, Gino Piccinino and Gareth Morris

The main event was contested over 6 rounds 3 minutes each.

Betting odds

ResultBet365SkyBetLadbrokesWilliam Hill
KSI11/1016/56/5
Logan Paul4/64/58/138/14
Draw—181616

Odds as of 24 August 2018.[40]

Fight card

vs. Method Round Notes
KSI vs Logan Paul MD 6/6 YouTube World Championship Title [n 1]
Jake Paul def. Deji Olatunji TKO 5/6 WBC YouTube Championship Title
AnEsonGib def. Jay Swingler UD 4/4
Momo def. RossiHD UD 3/3
JMX def. Coach Richard UD 4/4
FaZe Sensei def. Overtflow TKO 3/3
Michael Philippou def. Scarce TKO 3/3
Halal Ham def. Jrizzy Jeremy UD 3/3
  1. ↑ For YouTube World Championship title, an unofficial and unrecognised title created specifically for this event

Recap and aftermath

After Jake Paul defeated Deji by technical knockout, he called out American singer-songwriter Chris Brown,[41] saying "I know you were supposed to fight Soulja Boy. But I think it is time you got in the ring with someone your own size.”[42] The fight was attended by multiple celebrities such as Jimi Manuwa.[43]

Scorecard

Gareth Morris Gino Piccinino Delilah Ponce
KSIPaulKSIPaulKSIPaul
585757575757

Source:[44]

Reception

Pre-match

The fight and the lead-up to it caught the attention of mainstream media as well as professional boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, and boxers such as Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury, Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton.[45][46]

Viewership and revenue

The pre-fight promotional videos uploaded to the official KSI vs Logan YouTube channel have garnered over 63 million views, with the official fight trailers alone amassing over 30 million views.[47] Additionally, the promotional diss track music videos from KSI, Logan Paul, Jake Paul, and Deji have accumulated nearly 110 million views.[48][49][50][51]

The fight successfully sold-out 21,000 tickets for the Manchester Arena, a significant increase compared to the 8,000 tickets sold for the previous KSI vs Joe Weller fight at the Copper Box Arena.[52] The fight generated an estimated live gate revenue of over £2.7 million ($3.5 million) from ticket sales.[53]

In total, over 2.25 million viewers had watched the fight live, with an estimated 1.05 million tuning in via pay-per-view[37] and 1.2 million watching illegal streams on Twitch.[26][54] As of June 2023, the official KSI vs Logan YouTube channel has amassed over 122 million views.[55]

Pay-per-view numbers

The fight sold 1.3 million PPV buys,[56] when combining purchases on YouTube and the KSI vs Logan Paul official website.[57] This includes over 800,000 live purchases,[37] making it the largest non-professional amateur boxing match of all time.[lower-alpha 1]

Notes

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "BoxRec: Olajide William Olatunji". BoxRec. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "BoxRec: Logan Paul". BoxRec. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Richards, Alex (25 August 2018). "KSI vs Logan Paul undercard results: Who won as YouTube boxers clashed in Manchester". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Alexander, Julia (26 February 2018). "YouTube boxing just went international, so when does YouTube get involved?". Polygon. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 Hern, Alex (20 July 2018). "KSI v Logan Paul: YouTubers trash talk ahead of world wide web title fight". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "KSI vs Logan Paul: YouTube boxing fight ends in a draw". BBC. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Hamdani, Adam (25 August 2018). "KSI and Logan Paul weigh-in ahead of 'biggest internet event in history'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Radio Times Staff (22 August 2018). "KSI v Logan Paul: why are YouTube's biggest stars going to fight in the boxing ring?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Langton, Nick (21 July 2021). "Who won KSI vs Logan Paul 1 & 2?". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Sharman, Jon (6 February 2018). "KSI vs Joe Weller: Millions watch YouTube stars' boxing match". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "KSI vs Joe Weller – Copper Box Arena February 3rd 2018". 3 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Chambers, Georgia (22 August 2018). "KSI vs Logan Paul fight: Everything you need to know about the boxing match including tickets and how to watch on YouTube". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI confirm boxing showdown in Manchester". Sky News. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 "KSI Vs Logan Paul Fight: All The Details Inc. Dates, Venue & More". Capital. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "KSI Says Logan Paul Fight is a Stepping Stone to Pro Boxing Career". 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2018 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Logan Paul and KSI Nearly Come to Blows at Superfight News Conference". TMZ. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (24 July 2018). "Ahead Of Boxing Match, Deji Olatunji Says He's Being Sued For Greg Paul Press Conference Assault". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Deji gets Armani Banned from The Fight (KSI vs Logan Paul)". 4 August 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2018 – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ "KSI vs Joe Weller Press Conference/Face Off/Weigh In". 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "KSI vs Logan Paul [Official Weigh In]". 24 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  21. ↑ Youngs, Ian (24 August 2018). "YouTube heavyweights set for boxing fight". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  22. ↑ Domin, Martin (24 August 2018). "KSI vs Logan Paul: Fighters weigh-in for YouTube boxing clash". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  23. ↑ "KSI v Logan Paul – Manchester Arena". www.manchester-arena.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "It's Finally Here!!". 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ "eventim.co.uk". www.eventim.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  26. 1 2 Alexander, Julia (26 August 2018). "KSI and Logan Paul's $10 YouTube fight proved Twitch pirates always win". Polygon. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  27. ↑ Patterson, Calum (19 July 2018). "Ring Announcer Michael Buffer Will Introduce the KSI vs Logan Paul Boxing Match". Dexerto. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  28. ↑ Katzowitz, Josh (20 July 2018). "The KSI-Logan Paul YouTube boxing match will be a PPV event". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  29. ↑ "Jake Paul Reacting to KSI's Logan Paul Diss Track." 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018 – via YouTube.
  30. ↑ Griffin, Andrew (26 August 2018). "Free Logan Paul vs KSI streams are already appearing. But there's a big catch". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  31. ↑ Olatunji, Olajide [@KSIOlajidebt] (19 July 2018). "Just wanted to address those asking why we're charging to see the fight. The cost of the event itself is on another level to last time. Plus the press conferences, weigh-in and making other content for the new channel, all adds up" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ "KSI vs. Logan Paul "YouTube World Championship" Boxing Match Ends in a Draw as 784K Watch on YouTube (And a Million More Illegally)". Tubefilter. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Glaze, Virginia (26 August 2018). "Twitch Garnered Over 1 Million Viewers for KSI vs Logan Paul Fight – Avoiding YouTube Paywall". Dexerto. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  34. ↑ Hale, James (3 January 2019). "KSI And Logan Paul Want To Cut Down On Pirated Views Ahead Of Their Boxing Rematch". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  35. ↑ Jones, Mark (26 August 2018). "KSI vs Logan Paul prize money: How much YouTube stars made from fight". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  36. ↑ Kenber, Billy (27 August 2018). "YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul hit jackpot as millions watch grudge match". The Times. Retrieved 27 August 2018. The Saturday night fight ended in a draw after six rounds but the windfall from ticket sales, online viewers, sponsors and merchandise meant both men departed as winners, with a lucrative rematch due to take place in February. [...] Organisers have not revealed details of the purse split but boxing experts have speculated that the vloggers could make as much as £30 million to £40 million each depending on how many fans pay to watch replays.
  37. 1 2 3 Benson, Michael (28 August 2018). "KSI reveals official PPV numbers from the Logan Paul fight, discusses earnings". Talksport. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  38. ↑ Wood, Tom (9 September 2018). "KSI Responds To Fans Who Guess How Much He Got Paid For Logan Paul Fight". SPORTbible. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  39. ↑ "How Much Did Logan Paul and KSI Make from Their 'YouTube World Boxing Championship'? A Lot". Tubefilter. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  40. ↑ "KSI v Logan Paul Betting Odds". Oddschecker. Sky Betting & Gaming. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  41. ↑ "KSI v Logan Paul: Twitch pirates outnumbered YouTube payers". BBC. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  42. ↑ Jones, Mark (25 August 2018). "Jake Paul calls out Chris Brown after win over Deji". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  43. ↑ Segura, Danny (26 August 2018). "The Weekly Grind: Jimi Manuwa attends KSI vs. Logan Paul, McGregor takes shots at Nurmagomedov's team". Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  44. ↑ Richards, Alex (26 August 2018). "How judges scored KSI vs Logan Paul". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  45. ↑ "Boxing Promoter Eddie Hearn Says Logan Paul, KSI Fight Is Stupid And Brilliant". TMZ. 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  46. ↑ "KSI v Logan Paul: What do real fighters think?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  47. ↑ "KSIvsLogan: Videos". YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  48. ↑ KSI – ON POINT (LOGAN PAUL DISS TRACK) on YouTube
  49. ↑ LOGAN PAUL – GOODBYE KSI (DISS TRACK) FEAT. KSI on YouTube
  50. ↑ Jake Paul – “Champion” (Official Music Video, feat. Jitt n Quan) on YouTube
  51. ↑ Deji – Wasteman (Jake Paul Diss Track) on YouTube
  52. ↑ Hamdani, Adam (25 August 2018). "Everything you need to know ahead of KSI vs Logan Paul". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  53. ↑ Ghosh, Shona (28 August 2018). "KSI and Logan Paul probably generated up to $11 million with their YouTube boxing match". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  54. ↑ Matney, Lucas (26 August 2018). "Pirated Twitch streams hijack YouTube's pay-per-view Logan Paul/KSI boxing match". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  55. ↑ "KSIvsLogan: About". YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  56. ↑ Hearn, Eddie (7 November 2019). Boxing Roundtable: KSI Says "Bring On Justin Bieber!" (Video). YouTube. TMZ Sports. Event occurs at 2 minutes. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019. Then I heard very quickly that they did 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
  57. ↑ "KSI reveals official PPV numbers from the Logan Paul fight, discusses earnings". talkSPORT. 29 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
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