By Cory Sparks, Sports Editor
On Aug. 25, 2018, arguably the biggest internet event in history occurred. Both the fastest growing YouTube channels in their respective countries, Logan Paul and Olajide William Olatunji (better known as KSI) squared off in a boxing match that grabbed audiences across the globe.
Before the round-by-round analysis, here’s some context. The feud began in February when KSI defeated fellow U.K. YouTuber Joe Weller in a prior boxing match.
KSI won easily, but that wasn’t the story of the night. In the post-fight interview, KSI called out “any of the Pauls,” referring to both Jake and Logan Paul, brothers who have a significant following on social media.
Just a month prior, Logan Paul completely deserted his channel after a controversial video where he showed a closeup image of a dead body in Aokigahara. Upon release, millions criticized the then 22 year old for a violation of privacy and overall insensitivity.
Paul was at an absolute low, but slowly climbed himself out of this hole through generous acts such as charity donations and sincere, humbled apologies.
Upon being called out by KSI, Paul saw this as a mountain to climb where he could reinvent himself along the way, all while getting lost in intense workouts for this fight.
For $10 a pop to watch the fight via pay-per-view, 800,000 purchases were recorded. Considering the two entertainers have 38 million subscribers combined, that may seem like a miniscule amount. However, I’m sure each purchase probably came with a huge viewing party. Not to mention, there were over 1.2 million reports of illegal streams being cracked down for piracy.
Not to worry though, aside from the $8 million this event made from online viewers, there were over 21,000 attending Manchester Arena.
Now, for the round-by-round analysis.
Round one: Paul toyed with KSI both mentally and physically, landing numerous hard jabs to the face followed by a collection of taunts. KSI landed only a couple of punches in this round, neither of them seeming to affect Paul.
Round two: Paul’s confidence and boxing ability continues to show, as his powerful punches are taking control of how this match is going. In the Joe Weller fight, KSI lead a chase across the ring. So far this time around, Paul was the predator as he dictated these first two rounds. Upon pure frustration, KSI lands a jab after the bell to Paul’s face.
Round three: As discussed as an advantage for KSI prior to the fight, Paul starts to show signs of fatigue. Upon realizing this endurance battle, KSI gets his feet moving, bouncing around the ring more to show Paul that he still has plenty left in the tank. Both quantity and accuracy increased in KSI’s landed punches this round, which proved to be enough for him to take round three.
Round four: Paul seemingly took this round off, as he clinched KSI multiple times when swings began. Before he could lock arms with KSI though, he definitely took some body shots and a couple of hits to the head. This round was a resting period for Paul, therefore evening the round count at 2-2.
Round five: Paul continues to clinch, and KSI loses it. He throws Paul against the ropes after the referee broke them up. This ignited a spark in Paul, and later on in the round he lands a good 10-15 consecutive punches on KSI. This gave the edge to Logan making it 3-2.
Round six: It’s immediately evident that the series of punches Paul delivered exerted all of his energy. KSI dominates this round and starts to finish with better footwork, better blows to the face, and the 21,000 in Manchester behind him.
When the judges’ decisions concluded, the match was declared as a majority draw (two out of the three judges called a draw).
Whether these two are seen as boxers or not, the whole event was highly intriguing. The rematch will take place sometime between December 2018 and March 2019, and is a must watch for all viewers looking for some good old-fashioned entertainment.