English Youtuber KSI is set to face unbeaten boxer-turned-reality star Tommy Fury on October 14th, 2023. Ready to take the ring in Manchester, England, KSI has vowed to do what Jake Paul couldn’t – and that is, beat Tommy Fury. Brother of WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, Tommy is on the path to his very own success, seeing that he has yet to lose a fight in the ring. Though he shot to fame in the reality TV show Love Island in 2019 where he met his now fiancé, Molly Mae, Tommy is making a name for himself in the sport that flows in his family bloodline.
Renowned for his recent fight in February 2023 against Jake Paul, where his fight purse was his biggest yet, Tommy is now on for his next win against KSI.
Having amassed a net worth of a staggering $3.8 million at just 24 years old, he may be doing well, but he has worlds to go to be on par with his heavyweight champion of a brother. With just four years under his belt as a professional boxer, Tommy has fought a total of 9 fights, with 9 wins, and no losses. In an eagerly awaited fight in the YouTube world, the whispers of who can fight KSI next were put to a halt by Tommy Fury. Originally looking for either Fury or Jake Paul, it appears that Tommy was the only one ready to get into the ring with a YouTube star – but who is KSI?
KSI’s History
Gaming, boxing, rapping, streaming, if there’s something to be done, then we’re sure KSI has had a dabble in it. Also known as Olajide Olatunji back in his hometown of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, KSI was referred to as the ‘class clown’ at school. Worlds away from the small town and school child upbringing, KSI has had bouts of success, with his face blowing up in the gamer world originally, and since, his all-new supremacy in the energy drink space. His name was chosen as an acronym for Knowledge, Strength, and Integrity, and he has his moniker tattooed onto his chest and arms.
At just 30 years old, the British entertainer has managed to build over 20 million YouTube subscribers, which beats his infamously renowned competitor in the social space – Logan Paul. Unlike many YouTube stars’ usual successes, KSI placed all of his efforts into the wild world of social media, where he later began to dabble in music and rap.
Growing from his bedroom in 2009 where he began streaming his efforts of FIFA on YouTube, he is now the 115th most subscribed channel on the platform – and he doesn’t stop there. When he transitioned into music, the star released a song titled “Lamborghini”, which reached No.30 in the UK Top 30 charts. To this day, the video has 108 million views on YouTube, and his platform is constantly on the rise.
Why the move to boxing?
2018 was the first time that KSI took to the ring against YouTuber Joe Weller, where their animosity had been building up over an ongoing feud. If you were a regular to either of the two platforms then you would have seen the immeasurable build-up of anger between the pair, which was evident in the YouTube combat that happened. Sitting victorious in his win, KSI made an irregular YouTube boxing match into something of its own phenomenon.
Flash forward to 2018 in the Manchester Arena, KSI then managed to compete against his main competitor Logan Paul – which went on to curate a space for a YouTuber-boxing market like no other. Managing to clock up 1 million pay-per-click views and over 24 million fight replays on YouTube, the world of boxing for KSI and Logan/Jake Paul was opened. Just one year later, KSI took to the ring with Logan all over again, where the fight was then crowned the biggest internet success in amateur boxing history.
Tommy Fury Vs KSI
Worlds away from his YouTube fighting days, KSI has managed to get a fight with an up-and-coming unbeaten boxer and his fight purse will match this advanced professionalism, too. Admitting to it being the “toughest fight in the influencer boxing scene” KSI is well aware of his tough competition but will be set to be getting paid obscene amounts. His last fight saw him take home more than any UFC champion of their time, and his fight with Tommy Fury will be his biggest payday yet.
Owning the pay-per-view percentages due to his co-ownership of DAZN, the streaming platform; he won’t just get a pay packet, but royalties too. From this alone, he will be looking to take in the millions from this upcoming fight, so though it will be a hard match – it’s definitely looking to be financially beneficial for the 30-year-old Youtuber-turned-boxer.
