Johnny Nelson MBE (ex pro-boxer) and George Glinski (Boxing Journalist) give their opinions on the recent trend of influencer boxing.
The world of boxing has seen the introduction of more celebrity and influencer amateur matches over the past few years. It has gone as far as some professional boxers stepping into the ring with influencers, such as the recent bout between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul. There is a new generation being exposed to the sport by influencers, this has potential to completely augment boxing around the world…
Embed from Getty ImagesAlthough celebrity boxing has existed for a while, it is the recent rise of influencer boxing which has brought in the numbers due to the huge popularity of these creators in young people and the drama behind it all.
Influencers have brought a whole new, youthful audience into the world of boxing. These boxing matches have started raking in the views and money so much so that professional boxers have started fighting some of the best influencer boxers. The fight between Jake Paul (YouTuber) and Tommy Fury (boxer) showed that there is still a clear gap in skill and talent between the two groups, but the fact that the fight went the full 8 rounds and Fury only won by split-decision, proves that there are still more fights to be had between influencers and professional boxers.
Not that long ago, many people were beginning to claim that boxing was a corrupt, ageing sport. Although a lot of traditional boxing fans don’t approve of influencers taking part in their beloved art-form, it certainly is one way for the sport to gain a lot more traction and publicity from the younger generations.
We spoke to famous ex-pro boxer Johnny Nelson MBE, who has clear opinions about how big the skill gap actually is between influencer and pro-boxers;
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Would you say that more influencers are catching the eyes of the professional boxing world?
“It seems to be since the early days of Joe Weller and KSI. Not necessarily for the right reasons – I think people can see the money and reach that can be achieved through influence boxing, but it’s nowhere near the level of the professional world.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThere seems to be a certain attitude of gatekeeping the sport from influencers by a lot of ex-pro boxers who don’t see how the bouts are necessarily impacting their sport positively. But what simply can’t be ignored is how the growth of influencer boxing has allowed for an increase in participation at grassroots level. This could be the key to keeping boxing alive in years to come…
Is there a ground where you can reason professional boxers fighting amateur influencer boxers?
“It brought new eyes, new younger audience to our support – which hopefully will benefit professional fighters in the future if there is ongoing and increased interest in watching and buying tickets. Less so if it all remains online.”
Many seem to feel that it is unfair how dedicated professional boxers must be in their day-to-day lives, yet they still only earn a tiny fraction of what the likes of Jake Paul and KSI would earn from a fight.
Following the recent fight between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul, is there more of an interest in these fights, or has it simply proven a clear gap in class between pro boxers and influencers?
“There’s a massive gap between pro boxers and influencers. It’s nice to see people enjoying our sport – as long as they do it safely.”
Is it possible that influencer boxers could make a change in career path into pro boxing this late into their development? Are they too old to start training to box professionally?
“Potentially but they’d have to make some of the same sacrifices boxers make e.g., being gym rats, training every day, camps etc. It’s not just aesthetic or for fun. The likes of AJ didn’t start boxing until he was 18/19 and look what he achieved in just 10 years. But again, pro boxers are a completely different level to influencers. “
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s clear from the fight between Tommy Fury and Jake Paul that there is a way that influencers can fight pro-boxers, albeit lower-level ones. You would never expect Jake Paul to step into a ring with Canelo, unless it was an exhibition fight. Although Nelson MBE recognised the benefits of the rise of influencer boxing, he was hesitant to encourage the thought of influencers turning professional – he believed they were unaware of just how hard pro boxers work every day of their lives; training in the gym daily, going into training camps, etc.
We also took the time to speak to a younger and more open opinion from the up-and-coming boxing journalist George Glinski, who had some differing opinions on the matter.
Glinski was also keen to make it clear about the skill gap between influencers and professional boxers: “I don’t see too many influencers that could be able to crossover and have successful careers in the sport as a lot of them are starting in their late teens and early twenties, when most pros start as kids.”
However, Glinski went on to recognise the effort put in by some of the top influencer boxers such as the likes of Jake Paul and Salt Papi: “These guys really put the work in”. Even though in the interview with Johnny Nelson, he claimed that many influencers were unaware of training camps and the effort put in before a fight, we have seen people like KSI completely disappear off of the internet for a couple of months before a fight to go to a training camp, so perhaps they are more educated than some think.
Glinski mainly wanted to make certain that influencer boxing is having a positive effect on the boxing community. He mentioned the deal that Misfits’ boxing (a crossover boxing promotion founded by KSI) signed with DAZN was a “master stroke; they now have a growing subscriber base of young fans, who are also being exposed to conventional boxing through the streaming service”.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt seems that there is an overall benefit to the growth of crossover boxing, however it’s clear that many people in the traditional boxing community are concerned that the wrong people are earning the money and putting in less effort. As long as crossover boxing and pro boxing are kept separate, then it shouldn’t do any harm.
This new form of entertainment may not necessarily be redefining the boxing world, but it certainly is keeping it alive in a time when many had started to categorise the sport as outdated and corrupt. By bringing in a new generation of boxing fans, influencers are doing boxing the world of good, but they needn’t step over the mark into the pro world any further than fighting low-level pros.