Logan Paul Attempts to Fistfight His Way Back to Relevance
The YouTube mega-star will settle a beef with gaming YouTuber KSI by stepping into the ring to pummel each other. Naturally, the event will be live-streamed and heavily promoted.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast
YouTube stars used to battle through diss tracks and subtweets, now they're physically fighting each other.
Brothers from two of YouTube's biggest dynasties announced this weekend that they will be squaring off in an IRL boxing match set to take place this summer.
Logan Paul, the embattled YouTube star with more than 16 million subscribers whose entire channel was recently demonetised over bad behavior, confirmed that he will be boxing KSI, a British gaming YouTuber with over 17 million subscribers.
KSI's younger brother, Deji Olatunji, a YouTuber with more than 9 million followers who goes by ComedyShortsGamer, will fight Jake Paul, Logan's younger YouTube star brother who has more than 13 million subscribers on the platform.
The fight came to to fruition after KSI staged an earlier YouTube fight with British YouTuber Joe Weller in February. The two had a longstanding online feud. KSI won the match and announced in his victory speech that for his next fight he wanted to battle "anyone with the last name Paul."
Jake and Logan Paul initially treated KSI's proposition as a joke. The two suggested he fight their father, known as "Vlogdad Greg Paul." KSI responded saying that he had no interest in "beating up an old man" and that his proposition was serious.
Representatives from both sets of brothers went back and forth in weeks of negotiations. Initially the Paul brothers, who both wrestled in high school and have zero prior boxing experience, said they wanted the fight to be MMA. KSI and Deji responded that they had been challenged to a boxing match and should back out if they "can't handle it."
The location of the match is still being determined with KSI and Deji pushing for a London fight, while the Pauls are reportedly keen on Las Vegas.
The event will undoubtedly be livestreamed simultaneously on all four of the star's YouTube channels, which will undoubtedly generate millions of views and ample opportunity for merch sales.
While YouTube death matches could become the next big trend in 2018, this not the first year a YouTuber has stepped into the boxing ring. In 2014, Antoine Dodson fought "bedroom intruder" Rashaad Cooper, who allegedly attempted to enter his home and rape his sister. Dodson won the match.