The Problem with YouTube Boxing
Why boxing must reject YouTubers to protect itself
New Writer Conor O’Donaghue tackles a divisive subject; The choice between watching high-level athletes play sport for entertainment, and watching entertainers playing sports for another type of entertainment.
The pinnacle of any sporting achievement is to be the best in your sport at whatever you do.
Any sports star's goal is to win every accolade and medal they can get their hands on; this includes football, golf, rugby, gymnastics, whatever.
Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street, the alpine skier, coined the phrase,
"To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them."
However, this phrase has not retained its full meaning, and this couldn't be more untrue for one elite-level sport. This sport is boxing at the highest level.
Boxing requires strength, speed, technique, stamina, and high levels of mental and physical endurance to even get to the top of the sport.
Your average Joe in the street may have every ambition of becoming a belt-winning welding boxer.
Still, the likelihood of an individual ever becoming the next Mike Tyson, Muhammed Ali, or Anthony Joshua is non-existent.
Why has YouTube boxing become so popular?
Boxing is the first sport that has allowed individuals from other industries with no business in its space.
In 2018 two YouTubers KSI and Joe Weller, went head-to-head in a boxing match at the Copper Box Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. KSI was the victor.
The fight drew 1.6 million live viewers, 21 million views within a day, and over 25 million over the next several days, becoming the biggest white-collar boxing fight in history.
The YouTube community saw a golden opportunity to enter boxing and take the sport to new heights.
Since then, we have had KSi-Logan Paul, KSi-Logan Paul 2, Jake Paul vs. Deji, Jake Paul vs. Nate Robinson.
Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather
A few weeks ago, Logan Paul, a YouTuber with 22.7 million, signed a contract to fight Floyd' Money' Mayweather on February 20th. Logan Paul's opponent will be known to many boxing fans as one the best of all time.
The undefeated American boasts a stunning 50-0 record, has not fought since his New Year's Eve exhibition in Japan back in 2018, where he knocked out Tenshin Nasukawa.
Playmaker reported the figures on their Instagram account in a post.
The picture showed that Floyd Mayweather would receive an initial $2 million upfront to face the 25-year-old.
At the same time, Logan Paul will receive an initial $200,000 to step in the ring with the boxing legend.
The difference between amateur and professional boxing
Elite-level sport from the dawn of time has always been about survival of the fittest, who’s the quickest, who's the strongest, and who can entertain a crowd in and out of the athlete's respective sporting arenas.
Individual boxers have the ability in the ring to turn the fight into a war or a tactical masterclass.
The boxing purist will know that YouTubers will go for the nuclear option, i.e., a knockout with no defence, because they have no specialized skill set in defending or counterpunching.
It is like watching non-league football instead of a Champions League clash between two heavyweights.
Unfortunately, this latest craze has only made a mockery of the sport, in my opinion. No game on the planet would allow amateurs to enter due to substantial online presence and potential financial gain.
Why it isn't good for the sport
All of this is happening in a sport that could see one of the best heavyweight bouts of all time with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Why does the sport need the clown foolery of the growing YouTube influence when it could go back to a level that hasn't been the same since the era of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and the likes of George Foreman.
Could you imagine if Swedish YouTuber Pewdiepie was allowed to join the Swedish national football team for the European Championships this summer?
You don't need to think about it because it simply wouldn't happen, never in a million years.
YouTube can and should host its boxing events, but not on the same night as the professionals or on the same undercards.
The future of boxing is looking bleak and if this latest trend continues, it could be the final nail in the coffin for the legitimacy of the sport.
Boxing has a rich and dark history when it comes to the likes of bribery, pay-per-view prices, dodgy scorecards, and boxers indulging in their version of cannibalism.
However, boxing fans and the sport must reject the latest notion that anyone can become a boxer if they feel like it.
