There once was a time where no boxer on earth wanted to step inside the ring with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. Now, we’re just one week away from his bout against an influencer.
Heavyweight legend Tyson will take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in an professional bout that has raised eyebrows – and concern – across the globe.
Tyson, 58, is over 30-years Paul’s elder and has suffered a number of health scares in the build-up to the bout – which will be broadcast via streaming giants Netflix.
The bizarre match-up signifies perhaps the pinnacle of influencer boxing as a man who’s career began with skits on the internet prepares to fight one of the most feared men in history.
Here, Mail Sport takes a look at how influencers have become part of the sports world – ranging from British star KSI to American brothers Logan and Jake Paul.
Mike Tyson (left) and Jake Paul (right) will fight inside the boxing ring next Friday night
It marks the latest challenge in YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul’s impressive crossover career
British YouTube star KSI has helped pioneer the influencing boxing space in recent years
It seems somewhat impossible to discuss the rise of influencers within sport without mentioning the unstoppable growth of British YouTuber; KSI.
The 31-year-old is one of the biggest names in the UK influencer scene after first launching his channel in 2009 before going on to accrue over 24 million subscribers.
Though he made his name by posting videos of himself playing the popular football video game franchise FIFA – now named FC – his content later evolved and he embarked on a number of different challenges.
One of those being a foray into boxing. After being called out by fellow British YouTuber Joe Weller, he made his debut inside the ring in a white-collar amateur boxing match in 2018 – which he won via TKO.
From there, the Watford-based star never looked back and immediately called out American YouTuber Logan Paul – who has 23million subscribers – for a match inside the boxing ring.
Paul accepted and the rest is history. The two social media giants would go on to have two fights against eachother, with the first being a draw before KSI claimed victory in the rematch.
The KSI vs Paul cards were the first time that influencer boxing truly broke through into the mainstream and, despite doubt from naysayers, it proved to be a huge success.
Their first bout – which was again a white-collar amateur boxing fight – sold 1.3million pay-per-view buys. Their rematch – which was this time a cruiserweight professional boxing match – then sold a staggering 2million pay-per-view buys.
The rivalry between KSI and Logan Paul (right) helped sparked the rise in crossover boxing
Their first bout was a white-collar exhibition bout which ended as a draw back in 2018
They fought a year later in a professional bout that drew global interest, which KSI won
Overall, the revenue generated for both fights stood at a mind-boggling £15million.
After seeing the undeniable interest in influencer boxing, soon after his fights with Paul, KSI announced that he and Wasserman Boxing had partnered up to launch a boxing promotional company called ‘Misfits Boxing’.
The promotion has seen incredible growth since it’s launch in 2021, with their events titled ‘MF & DAZN: X Series’ – in collaboration with DAZN – proving most popular.
Influencers and celebrities from across the globe have competed on Misfits cards in the past – with Premier League winner Danny Simpson one of the recent names to step into the ring.
There have also been long-standing rumours that Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney will one day make his boxing debut with the promotion – though that is yet to come to fruition.
The main attraction to the Misfits cards is that it provides an opportunity to see KSI in action – with the YouTube star having fought on the promotion five times now.
His most recent bout came against former Love Island star Tommy Fury which caught the interest of the nation after weeks of heated build-up between the two.
Fury – half-brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson – won the bout via unanimous decision and, in turn, handed KSI his first ever defeat inside the ring.
Premier League winner Danny Simpson was the latest footballer to partake in Misfits Boxing
The former Leicester City star drew in a bout against British YouTuber Danny Aarons (right)
Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney has previously been tipped to sign with Misfits
While British star KSI has continued down the boxing pathway, his former rival Paul opted for a different route and has since become a massive name in the WWE.
The American was a state-level wrestler when he was younger and managed to take those skills onto the big stage after signing with the promotion in April 2021.
Many doubted whether the social media star would be able to handle the transition to such a physically demanding sport but Paul has proved them all wrong – on multiple occasions.
His crowning moment came in November last year, when he won his first WWE championship after defeating wrestling legend Rey Mysterio.
While both KSI and Paul have gone down separate avenues in the combat sports world, they still remain connected through their energy drink brand; PRIME.
Launched in January 2022, PRIME has quickly become one of the world’s most popular drinks, with fans in some areas even queueing outside supermarkets overnight in the early days of the company, in a bid to get their hand on a bottle.
They generated just under £200m in retail sales in its first year and has been taken on by a number of sporting brands and stars.
In the world of football, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have partnerships with PRIME.
Logal Paul made his name online but has seamlessly transitioned into mainstream media
The 29-year-old has made an impressive name for himself since signing with the WWE
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, NFL superstar and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Aston Villa Women’s Alisha Lehmann have become faces of the brand.
The brand’s relationship with the UFC is particularly noteworthy, with the PRIME logo often seen on the Octagon canvas, while Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski also have ties to PRIME.
The LA Dodgers are among the biggest sporting partners in the United States, while NHL Maple Leafs’ star Auston Matthews represents another high-profile athletes in PRIME’s portfolio across the pond.
Essentially Sports reports that Paul and KSI’s PRIME Hydration company is worth a staggering £8bn.
KSI and Paul have lead the way for internet stars and influencers alike to move into the mainstream and it didn’t take long for others to follow.
KSI and Paul’s drink brand PRIME sponsor a number of the biggest football clubs in the world
They also sponsor baseball teams, NHL teams, the UFC and a number of individual stars
Erling Haaland (left) and Patrick Mahomes are among the biggest sporting superstars to have also linked up with PRIME
Logan Paul’s younger brother, Jake, has become a prominent figure within the boxing scene as well. From debuting on the undercard of his brother’s fight, he now gears up to face a legend of the sport in Mike Tyson.
The fight marks Tyson’s first professionally-sanctioned boxing match since he initially retired from the sport after being defeated by Kevin McBride in June of 2005.
Tyson remains the youngest man ever to capture the world heavyweight title, which he did aged just 20 in 1986.
Paul meanwhile has compiled an impressive 9-1 record as a boxer since first embarking on a career in the sport in 2018.
The former YouTube star perhaps has the most impressive boxing resume out of any influencer – having fought a number of former UFC fighters and professional boxers.
From Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley to Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, the Ohio native’s has constantly tried to prove his worth inside the ring by taking big challenges.
Taking on boxing legend Tyson extends that streak but whether he’ll be able to overcome the heavyweight great is another story.
YouTuber iShowSpeed surprisingly kept up with Noah Lyles for much of their 50 meter race
Speed is popular in the football community and was invited to the Ballon d’Or ceremony
There are also a numbers of influencers who are making waves within sport but away from the boxing ring – with the most notable being streamer iShowSpeed.
The American YouTuber and streamer has made a name through his passion for football and, in particular, Cristiano Ronaldo.
His rise through through internet stardom has seen him collaborate with a number of football’s biggest names – most recently Paul Pogba – and attend Ballon d’Or ceremonies.
He also recently took on Olympian Noah Lyles in a surprisingly close race for $100k.