Perhaps the seminal moment in crossover boxing was the bout between British YouTuber KSI and his American peer, Logan Paul.
Without the event, the undercard featuring Paul’s younger brother, Jake, would not have taken place and his attempt through the ranks of professional boxing may never have begun.
Back in February 3 2018, KSI had fought another British social media celebrity, Joe Weller, in an event viewed by millions. KSI won and set his sights on the Paul brothers.
Ultimately Logan stepped up, with Jake taking on KSI’s younger brother Deji Olatunji.
In a build-up featuring transatlantic press conferences, face masks of Logan Paul’s then-girlfriend, vandalised gyms and attacks on hired cards, the two fighters managed to court plenty of controversy.
Paul and KSI weighed in at 189.6lbs and 187.2lbs respectively. The fight took place at Manchester Arena, England, and was streamed on YouTube PPV.
After six, three-minute rounds, the fight was scored a draw and heralded a professional rematch on November 9 2019.
A legitimate cruiserweight bout planned for another set of six three-minute rounds, the event was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
This time, instead of a card simply stacked with fellow YouTubers, Billy Joe Saunders defended his WBO super middleweight belt against Marcelo Coceres, while Devin Haney defended his WBC strap against Alfredo Santiago.
Paul employed Shannon Briggs as his trainer and KSI was under the supervision of professional fighter Viddal Riley and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle Jeff Mayweather, a sign of the seriousness with which the pair were taking the fight.
The hard work was reflected in the gym, with Paul weighing in at 199.4lbs and KSI going up to 193.5lbs.
KSI started brightly as he landed more punches in the first three rounds, and Paul slipped twice on to the canvas, with a right-hander knocking Paul over, with none of the three incidents ruled a knockdown.
In the fourth round Paul rallied and landed a hefty uppercut blow before a second illegal uppercut sent the Briton to the ground, following with another illicit strike on his way down and then when he was on the ground, costing Paul two points.
With two even if chaotic rounds following, KSI was awarded a split decision, with Paul then appealing the decision and losing.
Neither fighter has stepped away from the ring as they prepare for the DAZN X event on August 27, show live on DAZN.