By Amy A. Kaplan: DAZN, please make it stop! Picture this: a revered sport, known for its discipline, technique, and honor is now reduced to a playground for influencers where boxing’s dignity is the punching bag. That’s precisely what went down in Manchester on DAZN’s latest pay-per-view absurdity, featuring none other than Tommy “All Bark, No Bite” Fury, and KSI “From Clickbait to Punchline.”
Photo: MisFits Boxing
These influencer boxing events are like a bad rash on the noble sport of boxing; they just keep popping up, uninvited, unwelcomed, and certainly unappreciated. And the Tommy Fury vs. KSI fight? It was an embarrassment, not just for them but for everyone who had to witness that shambolic display of flailing and failing, mistaking sloppy punches for skill.
Tommy Fury, the man who was supposed to bring some semblance of credibility to this spectacle, completely dropped the ball. Instead of a fighter, he looked more like a lost sheep in the ring, aimlessly wandering and hoping for a bell to guide him home. His performance was as underwhelming as a decaf coffee on a Monday morning – all the promises, none of the punch.
And KSI, oh KSI! The man who believes screaming at a camera equips him for a boxing ring. He huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the house down, proving yet again that having followers is not the same as having genuine fighting skills. His punches were as weak as his pre-fight trash talk: plenty of noise but no real substance.
This entire debacle resembled less of a boxing event and more of a clumsy dance of confused participants with two left feet. Every swing looked like they were swatting flies rather than delivering punches. It was the kind of cringe you expect from a bad reality show, not a professional sporting event.
What’s even more ridiculous is how these influencers walk away, fat checks in hand, smirking. It’s a slap in the face to real boxers, those who have spent years, if not decades, honing their craft, only to be sidelined by these Internet clowns who think boxing is just another trend to hop onto for more likes and views. You don’t play boxing.
Tommy’s comparison to his brother is like comparing a soggy fry to a gourmet steak. Despite his attempts to distance himself from Tyson’s shadow, his performance only amplified the gap between genuine talent and media-hyped mediocrity. He’s not carving out his legacy; he’s using a chainsaw on the family tree.
KSI’s post-fight theatrics were as predictable as they were pathetic. Complaining about the verdict and moaning about “illegal” moves, he might as well have accused Tommy of casting voodoo spells. Anything to deflect from the fact that he was simply outboxed (though, admittedly, by the slimmest of margins, given the comedy of errors we witnessed).
So, there you have it, an event that might’ve set boxing back a few decades. The only real loser here was the sport of boxing… and anyone who paid to watch this trainwreck
It Didn’t Stop There! Logan Paul vs Danis
Let’s be frank; some things are so bad they’re good. Then there’s the influencer boxing debacle between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis. It was just… abysmally bad. It was the cringey, look-away-from-the-screen kind of bad. In the lineup of trash TV, this fight took the gold. Live, on DAZN PPV.
Paul, the YouTuber-turned-momentary WWE sensation, thought he could show us a “serious” fight. But instead, it was more like watching a huge toddler in boxing gloves. And Danis? I’ve seen better coordination from a sloshed uncle at a wedding reception.
Throughout the six-round charade, Danis made it clear he was on a mission — to earn the award for the most half-hearted defense in boxing history. Giving Paul the liberty to throw punches as if they were at a piñata party. Then, like a plot twist from a B-rated movie, Danis switched to jiu-jitsu moves towards the end. Maybe he remembered he was, in fact, an MMA fighter.
Paul, not one to be outdone in the drama division, took it personally. Maybe he was hoping for an actual fight and not a comedy sketch. The brawl became so heated you’d think they were fighting over the last donut at a police convention.
Security swarmed in, probably debating whether they were breaking up a fight or a poorly choreographed dance-off. But Danis, in his infinite wisdom, decided to play the tough guy by trying to clock a security guard, missing badly. A move as brainless as his strategy throughout the fight.
Cue pandemonium. If you had to describe the scene in one word? Buffoonery.
Logan, always the model of maturity (yeah, right!), decided to keep his distance, maybe fearing he’d chip a nail. But when the dust settled, he took his moment to speak, “Danis, weren’t you supposed to be the jiu-jitsu guru? What happened, buddy? Got distracted by shiny things?” Logan teased. “That wannabe takedown? And what was that? An attempt at a guillotine? Please! I might’ve missed that weak hammer fist, but trust me, I didn’t miss your lack of skills. Danis, you’re nothing but an overhyped, under-talented joke. Thanks for the laugh, though.”
Let’s be clear: Boxing, an age-old and respectable sport, was reduced to a child’s playdate. In a world where true athletes train their whole lives for a shot at greatness, it’s borderline offensive to have influencers waltzing into the ring, thinking they’re on the same level. But hey, who needs skills when you have followers, right?
The bottom line is this influencer invasion in boxing needs to end. It’s turning a respected sport into a circus and the ring into a joke. Real athletes train their whole lives for a fraction of the recognition these pretenders get by merely showing up. It’s not just a disservice; it’s a travesty.
So, to the powers that be in the boxing world, let’s get back to real fights, shall we? Enough of these sideshows. Our beloved sport is gasping for dignity, and it’s high time we take the clowns out of the ring.
