Have YouTubers become good for boxing or do they still cheapen the sport?

Jake Paul

A lot has been made of Jake Paul’s recent performance against 47-year-old Anderson Silva after the American won by way of unanimous decision following eight rounds of boxing. It was a result that has, perhaps for the first time in the YouTuber’s career, seen Paul commended on his ability in the ring.

Admittedly, there were signs of improvement from the YouTuber turned-boxer but irrespective of that, the fact remains; the man is still using the sport to further his own interests away from boxing. Of course, this isn’t a trend that Paul is alone in doing with fellow YouTuber KSI set to go toe to toe with MMA fighter Dillon Danis on the 14th of January 2023. On this occasion, KSI goes into the fight as favorite at odds of -210, and fans who feel that the 29-year-old will have too much for his part-time Bellator opponent can claim Betfair’s bet 10 get 30 offer upon signing up.

All things considered, it should be another night of intrigue at the famous Wembley Arena when the pair go head to head in a fight that will undoubtedly ensure that these exhibition matches carry on over the next few years. This is especially true when you go back to the fact that these guys are, as touched on, beginning to show legitimate ability in the ring. With this in mind, one could say that these fights, which certainly divide opinions, are not all bad news given that they do stir up interest in the sport and create millions of new fans who may not have otherwise ever taken to boxing,

When considering all of the above, there is, undoubtedly, a positive light that can be shone on these fights but at the same time, there should be questions asked about boxing’s integrity in the long term if this becomes the norm.

There is a vacuum in professional boxing 

Many would naturally argue against this ever happening but the heel-dragging in the heavyweight division is creating a vacuum in the sport. At least, there is a growing indifference to the game of cat and mouse between the top contenders of the heavyweight division with fans now promised very little in the way of championship fights at this stage. In fact, you only need to look at the reaction to Tyson Fury fighting Derek Chisora for a third time to understand that supporters feel let down and starved of genuine entertainment. 

With this being the case, it stands to reason that interest in these exhibition showdowns will only grow if the sport fails to get its house in order in terms of delivering the matchups that everyone wants to see. 

Have these exhibition matches kept boxing alive?

Put another way, it could also be argued that these seemingly bizarre matchups between YouTubers and ex-professional fighters have actually kept interest in the sport alive during a time when the world’s best continue to duck and dive title fights. 

Granted, it would be naive to imagine that everyone thinks that the emergence of these matches is seen as a positive development for boxing but at the same time, they may not be as harmful to the sport as once initially thought. 

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