An upcoming major fight is about to turn the world of boxing on its head, and many are currently focused on the big event for a variety of reasons. Logan Paul and KSI are going to come up against each other on August 25 in an event that will be broadcast exclusively on YouTube, shaking up the scene in a number of ways, some of which are likely going to have a long-lasting impact.
Who Are Logan Paul and KSI?
The first thing that jumps out about this fight is that neither Logan Paul nor KSI are known for their involvement in boxing – in fact, both of them are quite far from being professional athletes in the first place. Each of them rose to fame through their YouTube channels and eventually developed their own celebrity personalities around that. KSI was even recently featured on “The Big Narstie Show”, and many of his fans expect to see even more of him in high-ranking celebrity circles not too long from now.
Both of them have controversial personalities and have been involved in various public incidents in the past, making this fight an even more charged one – there seems to be a great desire among the audience to see Logan Paul and KSI hurting each other.
Changing the Scene
The fact that a fight between two nobodies (on the boxing scene at least) is quickly gearing up to be one of the most hyped-up events in professional fighting is big enough on its own. But some organisations have been paying attention to how this is unfolding with a worried eye, since this is also the second ever major boxing event that will be broadcast on YouTube PPV exclusively. If this is successful – and all signs are pointing to that right now – it could have some major implications for how PPV boxing is going to look not too long from now.
The Future of PPV Boxing
It’s not unlikely that broadcasting is going to break away from the major companies that dominate the scene right now, while on the other hand, it’s clear that there is a lot of interest in fights between people of relatively low skill. Some just want to see their favourite personalities bash each other, and it should be no surprise that something like this would gain a lot of attention, judging by the success of shows like “Celebrity Deathmatch” in the past. With the advances in streaming technology and the easy access that pretty much anyone has to the streams that interest them, we could see a very different-looking professional boxing scene not too long from now.
Does this have any negative implications for the relevance of the true pros? Hardly – there’s always an audience for everything, and it’s arguable if there is even a significant overlap between people who enjoy professional boxing and those who want to see the Logan Paul vs KSI fight. One thing is certain though – there is an undeveloped niche there that’s just waiting for someone to pay more attention to it, and it looks like this is already happening.