Influencer boxing’s rise has been astronomical. We went from a YouTube spat between KSI and Joe Weller to Iron Mike’s return to the ring after a 20-year retirement to face Jake Paul, an influencer-turned-boxer set to make $40 million from the event.

Just how on earth did we get to this stage? Why is Mike Tyson throwing punches in 2024? Join us as we chart influencer boxing’s rise and look at some of the most incredible fights from this new and exceptionally popular type of boxing.
What exactly is influencer boxing?
The inception of influencer boxing can be traced back to 2018 when YouTubers KSI and Joe Weller publicly agreed to settle their spat in the boxing ring.
The pair fought at the Copper Box Arena in London following months of training. The fight was live-streamed on YouTube in front of over 1.6 million viewers.
KSI won the fight by TKO, and it wasn’t long before another influencer – Logan Paul – introduced himself to the new concept of influencer boxing.
Logan Paul’s role in the growth of influencer boxing
KSI’s next challenger was Logan Paul, an American YouTube personality with a history of publishing funny (or stupid – you be the judge) videos on his channel.
When the pair agreed to meet in the ring, they promoted “The Biggest Internet Event in History”, which resulted in a strange boxing fight that ended in a draw. KSI won the rematch, which was viewed by millions on YouTube.
This series was undoubtedly the true birth of influencer boxing and the arrival of the Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, who have taken the concept from a YouTube circus to a legitimate sporting event featuring MMA stars and former heavyweight boxing champions.
The Paul brothers and the rise of influencer boxing
While Logan’s expertise is in making YouTube videos, his brother Jake actually has some boxing ability. Rather than offering out other influencers, Jake capitalised on his brother’s concept and invited professional fighters to face him in the ring.
He faced MMA stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, earning millions in PPV dollars. At this stage, the influencer boxing bug extended further than YouTube, with DAZN and Triller getting involved, while Jake Paul secured a deal with Showtime Boxing.
Iron Mike – how did we get to this stage?
After fights against Tommy Fury – Tyson Fury’s brother – Jake Paul set his sights on one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Iron Mike Tyson.
As influencer boxing gained some legitimacy in the sporting world, many purists slammed Tyson’s agreement to box Jake Paul as a simple money-making exercise that would bag the boxing legend tens of millions almost 20 years after his retirement from the sport.
After all, Jake Paul was clear about his motivations in a press conference leading up to the fight: “I’m here to make $40 million and knock out a legend.”
However, the argument that Tyson needed money just doesn’t cut it. After all, Mike is a self-made multi-millionaire with a successful cannabis business and all the fame in the world. So, why did he get in the ring with a YouTuber 31 years his junior?
Former British boxer Duke McKenzie claimed: “It’s his ego, nothing more, nothing less. What we’re looking at here is an old, shock-worn warrior who, unfortunately, still wants to relive his past.”
After the fight, Tyson suggested that it was more than money and pride that led him to the ring. After “almost dying” earlier in the year, he wanted to perform in the ring for his children one more time, commenting: “To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish eight rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.”
Why is influencer boxing so popular?

As evidenced by the interest in the Paul v Tyson fight, influencer boxing is popular because of its crossover nature. It brings two audiences together. The Paul brothers draw in a younger generation of YouTube fans with little to no interest in sports.
Many of Logan and Jake Paul’s YouTube fans would have little to no idea who Mike Tyson is, let alone what he achieved in boxing two decades before his fight with Jake Paul.
On the flip side, any boxing fan of the 1990s and 2000s probably couldn’t resist watching Iron Mike return to the ring one last time. After all, this is a guy who bit someone’s ear off in a professional fight. He also secured 44 KO wins in his 50 professional fights.
So, if influencer boxing continues the trend of bringing YouTubers into the ring with fighting professionals and legends, there’s always going to be an audience on both sides of the fence.
Conor McGregor gets in on the act
Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor is the latest sports personality to agree to face Logan Paul in the ring.
In a statement released on X on December 17th, the Irishman confirmed: “I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambrani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed. I will then seek my return to the Octagon.”
McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since successive defeats to Dustin Poirier in 2021, so his statement will intrigue both influencer boxing fans and MMA fans, given that McGregor seems destined for a return to the Octagon next year.
This isn’t the first time the Irishman has swapped the Octagon for the boxing ring. In 2017, in a bout dubbed “The Money Fight”, he took on Floyd Mayweather Jr and lost by TKO in the tenth round. Mayweather picked up $100 million for the fight, while McGregor’s take-home was rumoured to be $30 million.
What’s next for influencer boxing?
The legacy of Jake and Logan Paul and KSI is already entrenched. These YouTube stars have created a new type of entertainment, and influencer boxing is here to stay.
That said, boxing industry experts have raised safety concerns relating to the rise of influencer boxing, particularly as YouTubers become bolder in their pursuit of more views for their content.
Robert Smith, General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, said on Sky: “I am concerned. I don’t agree with influencer boxing, and the main reason being is that some of the standards you see are very, very poor … boxing is dangerous.
“Somebody can and will possibly die in the future. And obviously, the trouble with that, then, is it’s not just influencer boxing; it’s boxing.”
Whether these safety issues will be addressed is unclear. Perhaps greater emphasis on licensing and regulation will come into influencer boxing as more stars agree to enter the ring.
But whatever happens, influencer boxing is here to stay, and we can look forward to more high-profile fights between influencers and fighting stars in the coming years.
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