Who did Logan Paul lose to? The YouTube grudge match that didn't go his way
Logan Paul's first professional boxing bout did not quite go his way, as it resulted in a split decision loss. But who did he lose to?
Fittingly enough, Paul's first career loss as a professional boxer came not at the hands of an experienced prizefighter, but rather a fellow YouTube influencer in Olajide Olatunji, better known online as "KSI".
Paul and KSI first crossed paths in a white-collar amateur boxing bout in Manchester, England, playing out a six-round majority draw (58-57, 57-57, 57-57).
The Logan Paul-KSI bout became the largest non-professional boxing match of all time, generating a total of 1.3 million views on YouTube and the boxers' respective websites.
Because of the success and the inconclusive result of the first fight, Paul and KSI faced each other in a rematch, but in a professionally-sanctioned bout.
The rematch took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in 2019. This time around, KSI earned a split decision win (56-55, 57-54, 55-56).
Logan Paul will return to the boxing ring on February 20, 2021, when he meets former undefeated former five-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout.
The man that outboxed Logan Paul: Who is KSI?
Much like Logan Paul, KSI rose to popularity thanks to his YouTube channel. He began his YouTube career in 2009 by uploading gaming commentary videos centered on the FIFA video game franchise.
After two years of sharing his content to his friends and gaming forums, KSI's following grew to around 20,000 people. By the end of 2013, KSI's subscriber count had surpassed three million. He would eventually switch up his content from gaming to vlog-style and comedy videos.
Today, KSI has over 11.5 million subscribers on YouTube and continues to upload content weekly. Outside of YouTube, has also explored other avenues such as acting and making music.
KSI has also been nominated for various categories such as Best in Gaming, Vlogger of the Year, YouTuber of the Year, and Social Media Superstar. His lone win came in 2016 when he won the NME Awards' Vlogger of the Year.
KSI's first foray into boxing was actually not against Logan Paul, but rather against fellow British YouTuber Joe Weller. Weller accused KSI and Sidemen of creating controversy for YouTube views.
The issue escalated to a war of words on social media, which then resulted in the two facing off in an amateur white-collar boxing match in London. KSI won by third-round TKO and then proceeded to call out Logan Paul and Jake Paul.