In recent years, boxing has become an increasingly popular sport worldwide, in part thanks to the influx of celebrities who have decided to pick it up as a hobby. However, most of these have one thing in common – they are all YouTubers!
Back in 2018, internet stars Joe Weller and KSI began the trend, going head-to-head in the ring. The tickets for the match sold out and brought in plenty of revenue for the organizers, Copper Box. In fact, there were a combined 20 million viewers, both in person and online.
Nowadays, more and more YouTubers have seen potential in this trend and are following suit, and whilst former boxers such as Mike Tyson say that it's keeping the game alive, others believe it's causing controversy on the scene.
Even if there is a divide in opinion among boxing fans, they can't deny how much profit and new supporters YouTubers have brought to boxing, not to mention an increased interest in betting on boxing matches, which has done wonders for the sport.
So let's get ready to rumble, and explore the most prominent YouTubers to have entered the boxing world.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
12-15-2023 | Andre August | Pro | Won |
08-05-2023 | Nate Diaz | Pro | Won |
02-26-2023 | Tommy Fury | Pro | Lost |
10-29-2022 | Anderson Silva | Pro | Won |
12-18-2021 | Tyron Woodley | Pro | Won |
08-29-2021 | Tyron Woodley | Pro | Won |
04-17-2021 | Ben Askren | Pro | Won |
11-28-2020 | Nate Robinson | Pro | Won |
01-30-2020 | AnEsonGib | Pro | Won |
08-25-2018 | Deji | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 20.4 million (YouTube), 21.4 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $38 million (accumulated net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6’ 0" / 183cm
Reach: 76” / 193cm
Born: Jan 17, 1997 (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Nickname: "The Problem Child"
Paul began his career in 2013 by posting videos of himself on Vine. By the time this platform was discontinued, he had gained 5.3 million followers, so he decided to launch a YouTube account, where he became known for posting pranks, controversies and producing hip-hop music.
After accumulating even more subscribers, the Disney Channel hired him to feature on their show, Bizaardvark, but he left midway through the second series to focus on more adult roles.
Combining music with boxing his career, Jake has also released a single titled Champion, which alluded to his rival, Deji Olatunji, a fellow YouTuber. He has since set up an organization called Boxing Bullies, which aims to tackle bullying among children, and has become committed to his sporting dreams.
A controversial figure, he has repeatedly called out the likes of UFC President Dana White, accusing him of underpaying his fighters, as well as top UFC fighters such as Conor McGregor, the latter of whom he has challenged to a boxing match on numerous occasions.
Jake Paul won his first professional boxing match by knockout against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib. He faced former NBA player Nate Robinson in his second pro fight and won by second-round knockout, becoming the first YouTuber to win a professional boxing match on pay-per-view.
He then faced former UFC fighter Ben Askren and won by first-round TKO. This fight was a major step forward for his career, as it earned him the biggest payday of his career and further cemented him as a legitimate boxer with mainstream appeal.
Paul defeated another UFC fighter, Tyron Woodley, by sixth-round knockout in their second fight. Recently, Paul suffered his first loss in an 8-round match against boxer Tommy Fury, before bouncing back to defeat MMAfighter Nate Diaz going 10 rounds.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-14-2023 | Tommy Fury | Pro | Lost |
05-13-2023 | Joe Fournier | Pro | NC |
01-14-2023 | Faze Temper | Pro | Won |
08-27-2022 | Luis Alcaraz Pineda | Pro | Won |
08-27-2022 | Swarmz | Pro | Won |
11-09-2019 | Logan Paul | Pro | Won |
08-25-2018 | Logan Paul | Pro | Draw |
02-03-2018 | Joe Weller | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 24 million (YouTube), 12.4 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $25 million (accumulated net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6’ 0" / 183cm
Reach: 76” / 193cm
Born: June 19, 1993 (London, England, UK)
Nickname: "The Nightmare"
KSI is an English YouTuber and rapper who began his online career in 2008 during his teens. The acronym KSI stands for Knowledge Strength Integrity, and he started out by uploading FIFA commentaries whilst playing the game in his bedroom.
Thanks to his rap music, as well as the popular YouTube network The Sidemen, he quickly took the internet by storm and has since been involved in roughly four professional boxing events, though only in very recent years.
KSI defeated Joe Weller in the first amateur boxing match between two YouTube celebrities. He fought fellow YouTuber Logan Paul to a draw in their White Collar Boxing match, then won the rematch, fought at professional level, by split decision. This fight has been recognized for paving the way for YouTubers to enter into professional boxing.
KSI then went on to defeat both British rapper Swarmz (real name Brandon Scott) as well as Mexican boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda by KO on the same night, in an event known as '2 Fights 1 Night'.
Most recently KSI lost to professional boxer Tommy Fury by unanimous decision after going 6 of 6.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-14-2023 | Dillon Danis | Pro | Won |
06-06-2021 | Floyd Mayweather | Exhibition | Draw |
11-09-2019 | KSI | Pro | Lost |
08-25-2018 | KSI | Amateur | Draw |
Subscribers/Followers: 23.6 million (YouTube), 24.5 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $45 million (accumulated net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6’ 3” / 189cm
Reach: 76” / 193cm
Born: April 1, 1995 (Westlake, Ohio, USA)
Nickname: "The Maverick"
The older brother of Jake Paul, Logan’s YouTube account similarly accumulated followers through Vine, and his success has been further exacerbated by his appearances on television series such as Weird Loners and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. However, he has also had his fair share of controversies, such as his run-ins with GLAAD and the suicide forest incident.
Despite these public humiliations, he has rehabilitated his image in recent years and turned his attention to boxing, wrestling and business pursuits.
Logan Paul has since moved away from boxing and into the world of professional wrestling, signing on to compete in the WWE.
Logan Paul began his career by fighting long-time rival and now business partner KSI in an amateur bout, resulting in a draw, before losing the rematch at professional level.
He has since managed a controversial exhibition fight draw with boxing legend Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr, and secured his first professional win against Dillon Danis in 2023.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
05-13-2023 | Swarmz | Pro | Won |
13-11-2022 | Floyd Mayweather | Exhibition | Lost |
08-27-2022 | Fousey | Pro | Won |
05-03-2022 | Alex Wassabi | Exhibition | Lost |
06-12-2021 | Vinnie Hacker | Exhibition | Lost |
08-25-2018 | Jake Paul | Amateur | Lost |
Subscribers/Followers: 10.7 million (YouTube), 3.1 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $5 million (accumulated net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 5’ 8” / 172cm
Reach: 69” / 173cm
Nickname: "The Tank"
Born: December 9, 1996 (London, England, UK)
Deji Olatunji had always wanted to be a famous UK internet star, and his parents allowed him to follow his dreams after seeing how successful careers in this field could be.
A smaller YouTuber than some of the rest on this list, he was born in London and built his following with videos on pranks and gaming, as well as a few acting contracts for major broadcasting networks.
As the younger brother of KSI, Deji followed in his brother's footsteps and made the jump from YouTube to the fighting ring.
He took on his first match against Jake Paul, to whom he lost, but he is debating organizing a rematch against the US star. He also faced off against the legendary Floyd 'Money' Mayweather, losing by TKO in the sixth round.
Deji began his boxing career with a loss to Jake Paul in 2018 due to a corner stoppage, with his corner throwing in the towel in the sixth round. He returned to the ring to fight TikTok star Vinnie Hacker, losing via TKO, before taking on fellow YouTuber Alex Wassabi in a bout he lost by split decision.
He made his professional boxing debut against Alex Wassabi, earning his first boxing victory with a TKO in the third round.
He also lost an exhibition fight with Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr, who at this point seems to be intent on taking down the whole of YouTube! Despite this loss, Deji was pleased enough with his performance against the boxing legend, claiming "I gave Floyd a black eye" on Twitter.
In his next match, Deji won by unanimous decision by going 4 rounds against Swarmz.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-14-2023 | Salt Papi | Pro | Won |
01-14-2023 | Tom Zanetti | Pro | Won |
10-15-2022 | Ryan Taylor | Pro | Won |
08-27-2022 | Faze Temper | Pro | Won |
10-15-2021 | 3bidaan | Exhibition | Won |
07-30-2021 | N&A Productions | Exhibition | Won |
09-29-2019 | Fousey | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 642,000 (YouTube), 331,000 (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $3 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Middleweight
Height: 6’ 0” / 183cm
Reach: 78” / 198cm
Nickname: "The Hitman"
Born: July 15, 1994 (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
Advertising himself as the ICB and Misfits Boxing champion on his Instagram page, Slim began his YouTube career in 2012 with a daily vlogging channel.
His posts consist of topics regarding family, faith and sport, alongside pranks and down-to-earth commentaries which have garnered thousands of viewers over the years.
He has also dabbled in music, releasing the single, Vibe. In 2019, he would step into the ring for the first time against Yusef Erakat (Fousey). The bout took place as part of a charity event to raise money for Yemen, and Slim won convincingly. Since then, he hasn't looked back and currently has a 100% win record in boxing.
Slim fought his first ever boxing fight at amateur level, defeating fellow YouTuber Fousey by TKO in the fourth round, after a corner stoppage.
His first professional bout saw him take on another YouTuber, N&A Productions (Amir Fotoohi), in Dubai. Slim won by first-round TKO in forty-four seconds, the fastest stoppage recorded in YouTuber Boxing history.
Slim has since registered KO victories over both 3Bidaan and FaZe Temper, cementing himself as one of the most proficient and dangerous fighters in YouTuber boxing. His most recent victory came against Salt Papi by way of TKO.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
07-15-2023 | Jarvis | Exhibition | Won |
04-22-2023 | Austin McBroom | Exhibition | Won |
09-10-2022 | Austin McBroom | Pro | Won |
06-12-2021 | Tayler Holder | Exhibition | Won |
01-30-2020 | Jake Paul | Pro | Lost |
08-25-2018 | Jay Swingler | Amateur | Won |
02-03-2018 | Max Plays | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 2.31 million (YouTube)
Estimated Career Earnings: $1 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Height: 5′ 8″ / 173cm
Reach: 69″ / 175cm
Nickname: "Big Gibber"
Born: July 4, 1996 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
AnEsonGib is a popular YouTuber who became famous for his FIFA and gaming videos on his official channel. He was born in Saudi Arabia but raised in the UK, so he is fluent in Arabic and English.
By 2019, he had garnered over 750k subscribers, with this number only increasing after he began dabbling in the boxing scene.
Ali’s fame has been attributed to his playing of various games, such as Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V and Rocket League. His ability to branch into various titles has allowed him to venture into more than one community. He has also been ranked one of the best FIFA players in the world due to his wins in multiple tournaments.
In terms of boxing, Ali has beaten MaxPlays and Austin McBroom, but lost to Jake Paul. He sticks to the YouTuber scene and has not ventured out to fight other amateurs, but still shows incredible potential with his skills.
AnEsonGib started his amateur boxing career in victorious fashion, defeating fellow YouTuber MaxPlays via second-round TKO. His next fight at amateur level came on the KSI vs Logan Paul undercard in London, where he defeated Jay Swingler by unanimous decision.
Ali lost his first professional fight to "The Problem Child" Jake Paul via a first-round TKO. He bounced back in his next fight, winning an exhibition bout versus TikTok star Tayler Holder via a unanimous decision.
AnEsonGib landed a stunning KO in the fourth round against Austin McBroom in the first of two back to back fights, and won the second bout by TKO.
Most recently he went five rounds against Jarvis, winning by unanimous decision.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-14-2023 | BDave | Exhibition | Draw |
04-15-2023 | IDubbbz | Pro | Won |
03-05-2022 | Deji | Exhibition | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 11.4 million (YouTube), 3.3 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $15 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Height: 6′ 0″ / 183cm
Reach: 73″ / 185cm
Nickname: "Wassabi"
Born: March 28, 1990 (Montana, USA)
Bio: Known for his vlogs and challenge videos, Alex Burriss (commonly known as Alex Wassabi due to his channel formerly called Wasabi Productions) is a YouTuber who began his channel in 2006. The account was originally run by Roi Fabito, but after he left, Alex became the full owner and continues to be active to this day.
Wassabi began his boxing career in 2022, defeating fellow YouTuber Deji by unanimous decision in a five-round amateur bout. He followed up by winning his first professional bout by decision after 4 rounds.
More recently, Wassabi drew against BDave by decision, again after 4 rounds.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
04-15-2023 | AB Starkilla | Exhibition | Won |
05-15-2022 | Matt Watson | Exhibition | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 465,000 (YouTube), 39,000 (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $1.5 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Middleweight
Height: 6′ 0″ / 183cm
Reach: 72″ / 182cm
Nickname: "Dad"
Born: February 2, 1981 (Milford, Massachusetts, USA)
Nathan Barnatt is an American YouTuber who plays self-made comic characters to entertain his audience. He began his career in 2007 by appearing on The Gong Show with Dave Attell and Ghosts/Aliens by Comedy Central.
He also developed a show for Adult Swim, which he wrote and created himself. He has since sold pitches to Amazon, Fox and Viceland and has a successful acting career as a comedian.
Nathan Barnatt has had a relatively short boxing career so far. In character as “Dad”, whom he played in the ring, he defeated Matt Watson in an exhibition fight at Creator Clash 2022, landing a TKO in 22 seconds - setting a YouTube boxing record!
Dad’s second match, just over a year later, saw him beat AB Starkilla who retired in the first round. While there has been little talk of 'Dad' returning to the ring, he has certainly proved to be popular.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
04-21-2023 | LeVeon Bell | Pro | Lost |
10-15-2022 | Ginty | Pro | Won |
08-25-2018 | Coach Richard | Amateur | Won |
02-03-2018 | Mike Fox | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 2.44 million (YouTube), 520,000 (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $1 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6′ 5″ / 195cm
Reach: 81″ / 205cm
Nickname: "JMX"
Born: March 2, 1998 (Hertfordshire, England, UK)
JMX is one of the most highly subscribed British YouTube personalities and earns his followers through vlogs, gaming, reaction videos, comedy and pranks, alongside much more, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. He has a brother named Ben, who is also a star on the video-sharing platform, and they grew up together in Milton Keynes. He currently lives in a flat with several other YouTubers.
Standing at a reported 6ft 5inches, his boxing career has shown promise. His opponents have included Coach Richard, Joe Weller and Ginty. He has also ventured into the world of professional MMA, defeating Wojciech Gola in 2019.
Joel 'JMX' Morris began his boxing career with an amateur level third-round TKO victory over fellow YouTuber Mike Fox on the KSI vs Joe Weller undercard. His next venture in the ring saw him take on Coach Richard, in another amateur bout he won by unanimous decision.
He made his professional boxing debut fighting on the undercard of Jay Swingler vs Cherdleys, defeating British TikTok star Ginty via a brutal third-round KO. However, JMX lost his next professional bout to LeVeon Bell by unanimous decision after 4 rounds.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
03-04-2023 | NichLmao | Pro | Won |
10-15-2022 | Cherdleys | Pro | Won |
08-25-2018 | AnEsonGib | Amateur | Lost |
Subscribers/Followers: 1.78 million (YouTube), 834,000 (Twitter)
Estimated Career Earnings: $1.5 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Super Middleweight
Height: 5′ 8″ / 173cm
Reach: 69″ / 176cm
Born: March 17, 1995 (Dudley, England, UK)
Nickname: "Swingler"
Rising to fame after creating his channel alongside his friend Romell Henry in 2012, Jay was born in Wordsley and began his career as a semi-professional footballer.
Even though he originally began streaming video games and doing commentaries, he now spends lots of his time on YouTube posting dares and funny travel videos with his friends.
Some of his wacky adventures include the time he was locked in a superstore overnight and snuck into the back of a taxi.
Swingler tasted defeat in his first-ever boxing fight, losing by a unanimous decision against AnEsonGib in an amateur bout.
He fought on the main card on his next visit to the ring, landing a first-round TKO victory over YouTuber Cherdleys in a match fought at a professional level. To follow up, Swingler beat NichLmao in another pro bout by decision after 4 rounds.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-29-2022 | Chris Avila | Pro | Lost |
05-14-2022 | IDubbbz | Exhibition | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 10 million (YouTube)
Estimated Career Earnings: $2 million per year
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6′ 3″ / 191cm
Reach: 76″ / 193cm
Born: November 12, 1989 (Saransk, Russia)
Nickname: "Dr. Mike"
Mikhail Varshavski has quickly become one of the most famous doctors online. After graduating from university with a degree in medicine and completing his internship, he moved to New York City where he started working as a doctor in emergency rooms around the city.
Recently, he has even set up his own practice as an emergency room physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He has also starred on many television shows, which helped him garner more followers, such as The Doctors and What Would You Do?
Although these contracts have now ended, Mike continues to review doctor and healthcare films and television series on his YouTube channel, which gain many views. Notably, he has commented on the accuracy of Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy and The Resident.
Doctor Mike made his boxing debut with an amateur bout against iDubbbz, defeating his fellow YouTuber over five rounds by unanimous decision.
He then made his professional debut in the ring fighting on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva. He tasted defeat in Arizona, losing to professional MMA fighter Chris Avila via unanimous decision.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
04-15-2023 | Alex Wassabi | Pro | Lost |
05-14-2022 | Doctor Mike | Exhibition | Lost |
Subscribers/Followers: 7.68 million (YouTube), 1.2 million (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $5 million (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 6′ 2″ / 187cm
Reach: 75″ / 190cm
Born: July 27, 1990 (San Antonio, Texas, USA)
Nickname: "Skullcruncher"
Ian Carter a.k.a. iDubbbz is an American YouTuber sensation who started up his channel in 2012. He specializes in social commentary, food reviews, life talks, funny videos and occasionally gaming.
His comedy series like Content Cop, Bad Unboxing and Kickstarter Crap, have become very popular since their release and continue to entertain his millions of followers on a daily basis. These are what he is best known for, with highlights for each on his channels.
iDubbbz has made two appearances in the boxing ring so far, but hasn’t yet been victorious. He was defeated by fellow YouTuber Doctor Mike at Creator Clash 2022, fighting gamely but ultimately losing the exhibition fight over five rounds via unanimous decision.
His next match was a professional bout against Alex Wassabi, which saw iDubbbz lose by decision after 4 rounds.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
10-14-2023 | Slim Albaher | Pro | Lost |
05-13-2023 | Anthony Taylor | Pro | Lost |
01-14-2023 | Josh Brueckner | Pro | Won |
08-27-2022 | Andy Warski | Pro | Won |
03-05-2022 | Halal Ham | Exhibition | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 307,000 (YouTube), 400,000 (Instagram), 4.4 million (TikTok)
Estimated Career Earnings: $591K per year
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 5′ 8″ / 173cm
Reach: 69″ / 175cm
Born: February 24, 1994 (London, England, UK)
Nickname: "Busta Breezie"
Filipino born but raised in England, Salt Papi is a video creator who rose to fame through TikTok originally before moving over to YouTube.
He mainly posts boxing videos and funny reaction content, alongside techniques on how to season takeaways with salt by using his shoulder and elbow rather than his wrist - he has been seen using this technique in some of the UK’s popular chain restaurants, like Wetherspoons, Nando’s and Five Guys.
In his professional fight with Andy Warski, Salt Papi secured the fastest knockout in 15 seconds.
Salt Papi began his boxing career in 2022 with an amateur-level win by unanimous decision against YouTuber Halal Ham.
He made his professional debut that same year, beating Andy Warski on the undercard of KSI vs Swarmz, and landed an impressive early KO to take down the Canadian YouTuber and smash the record for the fastest stoppage in YouTube boxing history at 15 seconds.
Another knockout win against Josh Brueckner followed, after which Salt Papi suffered back to back defeats including a TKO by Slim Albaher towards the end of 2023.
Date | Opponent | Bout | Result |
08-27-2022 | King Kenny | Pro | Lost |
08-25-2018 | Overtflow | Amateur | Won |
Subscribers/Followers: 811,000 (YouTube), 363,000 (Instagram)
Estimated Career Earnings: $350K (overall net worth)
Weight Class: Cruiserweight
Height: 5′ 11″ / 180cm
Reach: 73″ / 185cm
Born: February 24, 1994 (London, England, UK)
Nickname: "FaZe Sensei"
A 31-year-old living in the United States, Sensei rose to YouTube fame after producing gaming commentaries. He is Christian by faith and loves nature, frequently posting pictures of his adventures to beautiful destinations on his Instagram. He is a member of the esports organization FaZe Clan.
Growing up, he was heavily involved in martial arts training and even set up his own fitness group based on the sport, named FaZe Fitness, in 2015. Since dabbling in boxing, FaZe has taken part in three matches.
Sensei made his amateur boxing debut on the undercard of KSI vs Logan Paul I, landing a third-round TKO victory against Twitch streamer Overtflow.
He fought in his first professional bout in 2022 against British musician and YouTube star King Kenny, narrowly losing via split decision after four close rounds.
FaZe does not appear to have uploaded any martial arts videos for a while and instead is focusing more on his commentary work. He is currently uploading a lot of videos where he reacts to other YouTubers, possibly to network more widely than he was doing previously.
Our list features some of the most notable YouTubers in boxing, but that list could be much, much bigger. With more YouTubers, celebrities and influencers getting involved all the time, the world of YouTuber boxing looks set to only get bigger.
Despite its detractors, it's obvious that YouTuber boxing is here to stay and we can expect to see many more social media stars enter the ring in future.
Some show a decent amount of skill, and victories for the likes of Jake Paul - who is successfully crossing over into professional boxing - have given the sport a sense of legitimacy.
Whether it's for personal gain, or as a creative opportunity to raise money for charity, it's undeniable that the phenomenon has had an impact on the popularity of the sport, especially amongst a younger audience.
The fact that serious boxers and martial artists, such as legends Floyd Mayweather Jr and Anderson Silva, have been willing to step into the ring with these guys, certainly shows that it's an opportunity to make money, at the very least!
The PPV figures speak for themselves, legitimate boxing promoters all want a piece of the pie and sports broadcasters such as DAZN regularly broadcast their events.
With YouTubers having already fought against professional boxers and MMA fighters including the likes of Nate Diaz and Tommy Fury, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Conor McGregor and Andrew Tate involved in more influencer crossover boxing matches sometime in the future.
