When reading that sentence, you might assume the fight is between two big-name athletes — but it’s not. Instead, it’s between two YouTube stars.
The match is expected to begin just after 11 p.m. ET at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It’ll be streaming on DAZN — a subscription-based sports service.
Paul and KSI aren’t the only ones on the fight card, either. The preliminaries are scheduled to begin just after 6 p.m. ET, with career boxers fighting during the lead up to the main event between the celebrities.
Wait, who are these people?
OK, and why are they fighting?
Excellent question.
But fans of the bout are more upbeat. Followers of Paul and KSI are young, supporters say, and their fight will bring boxing to a whole new audience.
Johnny Nelson, former WBO cruiserweight champion, hosted a face-off between the two celebrities before their first fight (yes, these two have fought before).
He told CNN that at the time he didn’t really know KSI or Paul. But then he saw how many youngsters were in the crowd. “I had kids coming up to me in the street saying: ‘Oh my God, you met KSI! Oh my God, you met Logan!'” he said.
“It’s a way of introducing our world to this new world. And if it inspires 1% or 10% of the fans who have come from watching KSI or Logan, then our sport wins.”
Rewind. What happened in the first fight?
The first fight was held in Manchester, England, in 2018. Fans paid $10 to watch the fight on YouTube.
Those numbers are in addition to the reported 21,000 who actually showed up at Manchester Arena. That’s a whole lot of people watching boxing who may not have paid attention before.
CNN’s Ben Morse contributed to this report.
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