It all started on Feb. 3, 2018 when famous Youtuber Olajide William Olatunji, more commonly known as KSI, fought Youtuber Joe Weller in an amateur boxing match at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. After defeating Weller in the third round by a technical knockout, KSI called out the Paul brothers Jake and Logan, two internet personalities known for their Youtube vlogs and funny skits.
After months of trash talk and a few diss tracks, an amateur boxing match was finally set for Aug. 25, 2018. KSI was to fight Logan Paul and KSIs younger brother, Oladeji Deji Olatunji, was to fight Jake Paul at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. After months of training, press conferences, and Youtube videos in which the social media stars chided each other, the fight was on. The first of the two fights was Jake against Deji. The fight ended when Jake Paul defeated Deji in the fifth round of the fight by a technical knockout.
The next fight was Logan Paul against KSI. After six rounds of relentless jabs and blocks, the result was a majority draw in which two judges declared the bout a tie while the third scored in favor of KSI. The two fighters agreed to a rematch and went back to training for their next fight.
After a while, the chance of a rematch occuring between the two seemed slim, until promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that a second boxing match would indeed occur. However, this time, the match would be a professional fight, meaning that the boxers would no longer have the headgear used in the previous matches and that the weight of their gloves would be decreased. The fight was set to occur on Nov. 9, 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The fight featured two completely opposite styles: Logan was taller and used his jab to keep KSI away from him, while KSI relied on his stamina and threw wild punches the entire fight. Logan managed to keep KSI at a distance for the start of the fight, but eventually let his guard down in the third round, falling twice according to the referee. According to the judges, KSI was winning unanimously after three rounds when, suddenly, with fifty-two seconds left in the fourth round, Logan managed to strike KSI with two uppercuts that sent him to the floor. On the way down, however, Logan struck KSI with a downward punch in the back of his head. When KSI got up, he was stumbling and couldnt seem to gain balance. The referee stopped the fight and gave KSI some time to recover, docking Paul two points for the illegal punch. This call was deemed controversial, as that was Logans first offense, and he was not given a warning. The fight continued with both fighters appearing to be fatigued in rounds five and six, creating little action.
The fight was a close one, with commentators claiming that a draw would not have been beyond possibility. Instead, the final ruling gave KSI the win, with one judges scorecard reading that Logan had won with a score of 56-55, the second judges card showing that KSI had won with a score of 57-54, and the third judge, who acted as a split decision, stating that KSI had won with a score of 56-55. The two point deduction from the fourth round had cost Logan the entire fight! Had he been able to control himself to not hit KSI, the third judge would have given the score in favor of Logan Paul with a score of 57-56.
After the fight was over, both boxers were asked if they wanted a rematch. Logan said that he would like one, but KSI said no, its done. What lies in the future for both fighters will be interesting to see. Logan Paul may try to redeem himself by attempting to fight an opponent stronger than KSI, while KSI has claimed a willingness to fight a number of opponents including Justin Bieber and Logans brother, Jake PauI. Still, fans want to see a third meeting between Logan Paul and KSI, and, hopefully, that too will happen in the near future.
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