Boxing match between 2 YouTubers!

[Crown]

I'm surprised not to see any other threads about this! Last Saturday, 2 big Youtubers, KSI and Joe Weller had a proper boxing match and it got more viewers than Wimbledon tennis final and the FA cup final (soccer)!

Details below:

• Social media stars KSI and Joe Weller battled it out last Saturday in front of a live crowd of 8,000
• The live stream is expected to be watched an incredible 20 million times
• Each ticket sold for £66 and as much as £100K was placed in bets before Friday
• KSI came out on top with the referee stopping the match in the third round

At its peak 1.6 million viewers tuned it, making it boxing’s largest live audience since Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko in April last year.

As many as 20 millions are expected to watch the footage back.

The match outperformed the gross domestic live audience for both last year's Wimbledon and FA cup finals.

Barbs were thrown in the build up to the showdown.

But while traditional boxers might trash talk about the size of their biceps, or what they intend to do with their opposition's unconscious body, these two fighters squabbled over who had the most subscribers.

Nearly 8,000 fans crammed into the east London venue with the average ticket costing £66.

As much as £100,000 in bets had been placed by Friday night with at least 13 bookmakers offering odds.

This, told Ladbrokes' Alex Apati to The Sunday Times, was more than for the week's real bout between cruiserweights Lawrence Okolie and Isaac Chamberlain.

'For a fight no one really knows about, and no one can really call, it attracted a lot of interest on the betting front,' Apati said.

'According to our books, this fight is more popular with punters than an actual professional bout between two upcoming British fighters.'

Weller, the fan favourite to win, began strong. But as the scheduled six three-minute rounds progressed KSI emerged on top.

In only the third round, after a standing count against Weller, the referee stopped the match.


YouTube video showing all the footage of the fight:

Links:
KSI channel: https://www.youtube.com/KSIOlajidebt
Joe Weller's channel: https://www.youtube.com/nuevafilms

Full article and source with more details and photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5350035/YouTube-stars-boxing-match-draws-1-6-million-viewers.html#ixzz56KFLrrbU


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What do you think? I'm not really into boxing but it's pretty cool that more people watched the fight than other bigger professional sporting events. It's a good sign that YouTube has a huge audience.

Do you think this could become a thing? Maybe a YouTuber's olympics or maybe we're nowhere near fit enough ?! ^^

Thoughts?

 

[Conso1727]

I'm not too sure about this, by going down this path it may no longer be about actual trained and talented athletes but rather people with enough social media following regardless of skill. High level athletes getting low level audience, and vice versa.

 

[Stike96]

I watched it just a bit after it was live. Didn't know all the stats behind it though, that's really impressive. I personally think that it will only be a one off, don't think think there'll be a youtube Olympics or anything like that

 

[Switchbox]

The only boxing I would participate in is Wii Boxing.

 

[Dewmonic Abyss]

I'm still waiting on that KSI vs Jake Paul match. I'd actually pay to see KSI 'drop him faster than Disney.'

 

[MikeSchimm]

nothing will beat the idubbbz vs. jinx boxing match that was supposed to happen

 

[Gaijillionaire]

That’s cool but it’ll just produce copycats that aren’t trained and something bad will eventually happen. Incidentally for that kind of publicity I’d get knocked out too

 

[EVO]

I watched it and I enjoyed it. Not that I follow any of the youtubers fighting.
I used to follow 'Exploring with Josh' who was on the undercard though (He lost)
If asked I would be up for the next time it happens. It would need to be a Heavyweight bout though.

 

[Farley Productions]

I still follow "Exploring with Josh" who literally did the same thing with another Youtuber mainly for fun and to get out of his comfort zone. He didn't win but it was still fun to watch. Granted I'm sure many others will try to follow in these footsteps in order to try to get famous or rake in some money (if qualified). But I guess we'll see what happens in the upcoming months.