Headlined by the YouTuber clash of Olajide William “KSI” Olatunji vs. Logan Paul, yesterday’s boxing card featuring several internet personalities reportedly attracted around two million viewers, according to UFC announcer Bruce Buffer.
Buffer, who has become one of the most iconic figures in MMA history, reposted an image on Instagram of his brother, boxing announcer Michael Buffer, with both Jake and Logan Paul. In the caption, Buffer claimed that the event received more than 800,000 pay-per-view buys—the card was available on YouTube for $10—and more than 1.2 million people watched via pirated streams on Twitch. In addition to the viewing numbers, Buffer said 21,000 fans were on hand at the Manchester Arena in England.
The last event of this kind, headlined by KSI vs. fellow YouTuber Joe Weller, reportedly garnered less views than KSI and Paul’s meeting. The Independent reported about 1.6 million tuned into that stream, which was free on YouTube. There was also a much smaller live crowd, with 8,000 in attendance at the Copper Box Arena.
Yesterday’s main event, which featured KSI and Logan Paul, two of YouTube’s most popular content creators, ended in a majority draw. The six-round bout was scored 57-57, 57-57, and 58-57 in favor of KSI by the judges.
KSI and Paul are already set for a rematch in the United States in February. This is part of the two-fight deal that the pair signed in March, which said that 100 percent of the UK event’s net profit from ticket sales would go to KSI, while the same would happen for Logan Paul in the American event.
The fact that the contract was set for two fights in the beginning has some fans questioning the legitimacy of the fight’s result. Nonetheless, the two stars from YouTube will gear up for another fight nearly six months from now.
