KSI vs Logan Paul: Battle of YouTube stars ends in draw – as it happened
We bring you every jab, hook and diss track, while attempting to put this new media monstrosity in context...
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
In front of 18,000 fans at the Manchester Arena, YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul shared the spoils after six rounds of tense white-collar boxing.
While many may pour scorn on a matchup between two amateurs, more than 800,000 streamed the event, billed as the “biggest event in internet history”, at its peak.
At least a half a million more watched on illegal streams, despite the attempts of the organisers to quash them.
The match was the second bout for KSI, who defeated Joe Weller in front of a 7,000-strong sellout in London’s Copper Box Arena back in February.
Fans not able to make it to Manchester for the fight had to pay £7.50 ($10) for the privilege of watching a live stream of the action.
:: Chris Stokel-Walker (CSW) reporting live from the MEN Arena and Adam Hamdani (AH) following all the online reaction
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load...
More than a quarter of a million pounds of bets on the outcome of the event had been taken by British bookmakers by Saturday afternoon, The Independent can exclusively reveal.
“We were blown away by the numbers we saw after KSI's last fight, but that pales in significance in truth, with interest from a betting perspective likely to hit £300,000 by close of play on Saturday night,” said Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati.
Popular gaming streamer Ninja and YouTuber Casey Neistat are among those watching along at home via YouTube. (CSW)
The young fans among me in the nosebleed seats (section 209 represent) are playing a game of "spot your favourite YouTuber" in the front row.
Their parents are on their phones. (CSW)
Two-time 4x400m relay European gold medallist Richard Strachan parlayed his athletics career into one as a YouTuber, and he takes on JMX (real name Joel Morris), who has 2.5 million subscribers and says he’s “living the YouTube dream”.
One question you may be asking yourself as you follow along with this liveblog is "Is it real?".
The boxing, yes. The beef between the fighters? Less so.
The top two fights have been stirred up in the last week through a series of "diss tracks". For the uninitiated, they're rap songs insulting the boxer's opponents and released through YouTube with flashy music videos. They're conveniently another source of revenue, with every view putting cash into the uploader's pocket.
But for all their bark, there's little bite behind them. It's the 21st century equivalent of the choreographed, finger-clicking dance routines between the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story. (CSW)
People reporting issues watching the live stream it seems. That's not good news considering the price paid... (AH)
It is fair to say that JMX is... a little more popular with the live crowd than Coach Richard here. (CSW)
This could be a big hitting fight.
Both men weigh in heavy and look in good shape. Will the skill match? Probably not but it'll be interesting. (AH)
JMX
JMX's reach is showing here, he looks a lot tidier than he previously did too which is useful. He's been a bit busier than his opponent, who keeps on trying to reach as high as possible. 10-9 first round to JMX. (AH)
First big knock down as Coach Richard goes to the floor and the crowd roars. (CSW)
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments