He's not fought since 2019, but legendary YouTuber KSI has announced that he will be returning to the ring later this year, with August 27 the date that has been pencilled in. Last time out, KSI overcame former rival and now business partner Logan Paul by a split decision, and he will be keen on retaining his undefeated record.
KSI, 28, made his name as a YouTuber, and is seen as a pioneer by many within the influencer circle. But, the Watford-born star always had ambitions to evolve beyond the YouTube scene, which led him into music and then boxing. His first bout came against fellow YouTuber Joe Weller back in 2018. KSI stopped his former friend by TKO in the third round, and this brought the whole YouTuber boxing space to life.
KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, then decided to take on another rival YouTuber in the form of Logan Paul. After their first bout ended as a draw in an amateur white-collar contest, leading promotor Eddie Hearn got involved via his Matchroom Boxing arm to set up a headline rematch between the pair at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. KSI came out on top via a split decision. But with talk of a fight between him and Logan’s brother Jake on the cards, Olatunji decided to switch his attention back to music.
Between then and now, KSI, who has always insisted that he would return to the ring at some point, signed with promotional outfit Wasserman. And recently, arguably after seeing other YouTube events fall flat on their face, KSI and Wasserman formed Misfits Boxing, or MF for short. And it’s via Misfits Boxing that KSI’s scheduled August return will happen, more than likely alongside other influencers and YouTubers.
In terms of who KSI will fight, it’s likely the end goal will be to get in the ring with Jake Paul further down the line, to end their bitter feud. But, after the younger Paul brother has continued to make headway as a professional boxer, and with he himself having a fight date pencilled in, it could be several warm-up fights on the agenda for Olatunji.
There are suggestions that KSI could embark on a journey of revenge for his brother Deji, who has lost to Jake Paul, TikTok star Vinnie Hacker and Alex Wasabi so far. If this is to be the case, it’s likely that KSI would take on Hacker and Wasabi first, with Paul being the final opponent. Austin McBroom, who delivered a TKO when fighting Bryce Hall, is also another name linked with a fight against KSI.
Whatever happens, by the end of the summer, the YouTube boxing scene is going to be active once again. And, with KSI leading the way via Misfits Boxing and Wasserman, we can expect to see showpiece events in some of the world’s most prominent fighting countries, such as the US and the UK.