KSI vs Logan Paul: A Recap

The slugfest that took place fifteen months ago in Manchester was clearly not enough for YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, so they went ahead against one another for a second round on November 9th at Los Angeles.

Source: LADbible

Many of us joined the bandwagon and ended up watching what is being doubted as the “biggest internet event in history”, but we still don’t know what exactly went wrong between the two. To be fair, no one in their right minds would have thought that KSI and Logan Paul would one day face each other in an octagon.

Source: JOE.ei

Source: YouTube

Considering that both of these YouTube personalities cater to separate markets of the YouTube community, the fight came as a total surprise to the fans. Logan Paul is known for his comedy sketches and daily vlogs whereas KSI started out as a gaming YouTuber who eventually ventured into music.

So, the question remains: How did the fight start?

Well, back in 2018, KSI had already started boxing. For his first match, his opponent was another famous YouTube personality, Joe Weller. In the third round, KSI had won against him via a knockout after which he called out the Paul brothers for a match.

“If any YouTuber wants it, you can come and get it. Jake Paul, Logan Paul, any of the Pauls, I don’t care.” – KSI challenged after the match.

Several lawsuits and brother drama later, it was decided that KSI and Logan Paul would fight in the main event whereas their younger brothers Deji and Jake Paul would fight as an opening act.

The two YouTubers had agreed on a two-fight contract. This meant that Logan’s team and management would organize one fight, whereas the other one would be organized by KSI’s. Interestingly, in a candid interview, KSI admitted that this match was simply a stepping stone into his career in professional boxing and he particularly eyed Logan Paul as he wanted to “squeeze out every bit of relevancy from him”.

The initial press conferences were disgustingly ugly as both parties threw shade at one another. Personal remarks and disses were made as a result of which Logan stormed out earlier. Honestly, if the opponent offers 15% of his testicles to please your girlfriend, you know there’s no right or wrong comeback. Both conferences can basically be summarized in one word: nasty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt7O1zzQMiA

To nobody’s surprise, both of them released diss tracks for one another prior to the match, and of course, KSI didn’t forget to mention the infamous Suicide forest controversy. However, we all know these diss tracks serve one purpose only, and that was the capitalization of the hype.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TofmKTHkAGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ebRk1AnbE

Since the rivalry was settled on a two-fight contract, the predictable draw in the first match came as no surprise to fans.

It sold approximately 20,000 tickets and over 2 million fans watched it live. Not to forget that once the fight ended, the subsequent viewership went up to 19 million. To add more gratification to the list, this event went down as the most important and popular white-collar match in history.

Round Two…

For the second fight, the two opponents ensured to create hype around. And for that, they were willing to go down the dirty road.

On one hand, KSI couldn’t “wait to see the memes of him (Logan) slumped on the ground after I’ve repeatedly beaten the life out of him.” And man did it turn out to be true.

On the other hand, Paul vowed to make KSI his bitch.

Anyway.

On November 9th 2019, the final fight between Logan Paul and KSI took place. And we did get a winner.

KSI got the edge on a split decision that ended up costing two points to Paul in the fourth round.

Due to some remarks KSI made in the banter-filled press conference before the match, some clarification was in order. So, before his big win at the Staples Center, he removed all the rumours and misinterpretations.

He said, “I don’t intend to kill Logan physically tomorrow, I only intend to kill YouTube career and spirit. After this fight, I still want Logan to be alive and well.”

Back to the match…

KSI had a strong opening where he made several consistent jabs at Paul, who was finding it hard to maintain his rhythm. Jack Reese, the referee, ended up giving a slip to Paul in a dubious decision. As the night progressed, the match got even more confusing. To brief up the ending, Logan Paul got penalized in the fourth round for hitting and holding. This was when he lost the two points that eventually landed KSI as the winner.

There’s something that should be addressed about both the personalities and sport.

“Real fans” of the sport have made several objections regarding the infamous YouTubers playing and benefitting from the sport. KSI is known for being misogynistic, and Paul is just plain dumb. So, their involvement in the sports fraternity has not really been received well. However, the YouTube community and their friends were there to encourage.