Alex Wassabi once again picked up a victory to spoil the party at a major YouTube boxing event when he defeated iDubbbz at last nights Creator Clash 2.
The veteran YouTube star faced Ian 'iDubbbz' Jomha at the Amalie Arena in front of more than 15,000 fans cheering on a host of influencers, and picked up the win in his professional debut. Wassabi was favoured in the fight given his experience, but was made to work over the four three-minute rounds by a super tough rival.
Wassabi started brightly, finding a rhythm to counter-punch his more aggressive opponent, but struggled to adjust to the duration of the rounds and appeared completely spent heading into the third of four. Unfortunately for the event's co-promoter Jomha, he was unable to capitalise on his brief advantageous position and the fight turned back in his rival's favour for the final round.
The pair embraced after the bell, with Wassabi insisting that iDubbbz take on one last fight after losing his two efforts thus far. It remains to be seen if he will make good on his withering response to his request, but he showed up well against a more experienced opponent who at one point was signed up to face KSI with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions guiding his career.
Here's how the rest of the night went...
John Hennigan bts Harley Morenstein by R3 KO
At one point the only way to stay following the show was to keep up with the likes of Hennigan, who defeated Epic Meal Time host Morenstein in the co-main event. The professional wrestler battered his comedian rival, dropping him once per round before the refereee mercifully decided to call it a day after the third.
Hennigan spent his entire post-fight interview calling for the likes of AB from the H3 podcast and made a point of issuing demands to Jake Paul and KSI. However, he insisted that he want to face someone who had won all of their fights, meaning the Pauls were off the table.
Ethan Nestor bts LeonHart by R3 KO
The crowd went absolutely wild for Ethan 'CrankGamePlays' Nestor's boxing debut last night in the final featured bout before heading to the main and co-main. He took advantage of his rival's stiffness under the lights and moved around, looking for the perfect opportunity to put his rival down.
LeonHart fought well given his limited movement, but was always heading down after the second ended with a flurry that almost saw the first KD called. And fans were sent into hysterics when Nestor landed a perfect looping right hand at the start of the third to put a stop to proceedings.
Michelle Khare bts Andrea Boetz by UD
Under the tutelage of Team GB Olympic medalist from London 2012 Tony Jeffries, Michelle Khare was able to get it done last night against chess star Andrea Boetz in a stunning women's fight for the ages. Undoubtedly the highest-level technical women's fight ever in influencer boxing, Khare just had a slightly better grasp on fundamentals and was able to do enough to win the bout.
Arin Hanson bts Jarvis Johnson by R2 TKO
Game Grumps host Arin Hanson was defeated by Harley Morenstein at last year's how, but returned determined to land victory this time out. He took a measured approach against Johnson in the first, utilising his pressure to tire his rival out amid his first taste of a fight on the big stage before using the second to land a big knockout.
It remains to be seen what happens next for Hanson following his redemption victory. He'll start with a tour of the UK & Ireland with the Grumps.
Haley Sharpe bts Marisha Ray by UD
After tasting defeat despite an impressive showing last year against Justaminx, 'YodelingHaley' Sharpe was allowed to return and show her mettle against a girl her own size last night. And that she did, utterly dominating the game Marisha Ray, who was in it trying to win until the final bell, despite having seemingly no chance.
Both women did the sport proud with their showings, although there's an argument to be made that given how one-sided the initial rounds were that this could have been called after three.
Myth bts Hundar by R1 TKO
Chess-boxing standout Myth made his full boxing debut at the Amalie Arena and viciously knocked out Muscle Party's Hundar in his first proper fight. He looked ready for action from the go and right at the end of the round flattened the muscle man to hand him his first loss in the YouTube boxing space.
Fans have been keen to see more of Myth since last year's chess boxing, and it seems that he might be here to stay in the scene after a stunning show of boxing ability. He punctuated the show with one of the cleanest shots seen in either Creator Clash event.
Alanah Pearce bts RIPMika by SD
Undeniably the worst fight of the night saw Alanah Pearce from Australia take on American RIP Mika in the second of four women's fights on the show. Mika did her best to get something going while the other six women involved also put on a spectacle, but it appeared at times like Alanah Pearce, who ultimately won, didn't want to be there as she stood in place without moving at all.
The judges had a hard time scoring this fight, likely as tough a time as the PPV audience had watching it.
William Haynes bts Chris Ray Gun by R2 TKO
Actor William Haynes reportedly had just three weeks of boxing training in his entire life when he made the walk in front of tens of thousands in a gnarly crowd at the Amalie Arena last night. But he looked a composed boxer as he worked behind his jab and put his considerable size advantage to use against Chris Ray Gun.
The bout should have seen Chris face rapper and YouTube legend Froggy Fresh, but that bout was cancelled amid a farcical situation involving Froggy Fresh and promoter Anisa Jomha's mum. However, Chris was likely wishing he could have fought the considerably shorter rapper if he could have chosen his opponent on the night.
Dad bts AB from H3 by R1 TKO (RTD)
YouTube boxing Dad, age 42, forced his latest victim AB Ayad from the H3 Podcast to quit on his stool after the first, with the podcast producer reportedly suffering some gruesome rib injuries. It appeared that AB may have actually got the better of their first round when the pair returned to their corners after a super quick-paced first stanza, but something had quickly gone wrong.
While AB went head-hunting in an effort to put a stop to the famously hard-hitting Nathan Barnatt, his rival went to work to the body with devastating effect. And despite his notorious toughness, there was just no way that AB was able to continue as Dad went 2-0 with two first round finishes.
Jaelaray bts Abelina Sabrina by UD
The first of four women's fights on this show saw Jaelaray dominate Abelina Sabrina over five rounds, despite her rival desperately wanting to put a brave face on proceedings. At no point did Jaelaray look in any danger, but there was a keen interest shown from the streamers and we expect to see both women back in future.
Jack Manifold bts Dakota Olave by UD
British social media star Manifold kicked off the evening with a dominant victory over streamer Olave in the initial bout. Manifold completely dominated from early and emerged as a standout star of the show during the initial undercard despite having considerably less experience than his rival.
Olave looked better than his 2021 loss to Evil Hero but might need to consider hanging up the gloves after a brutal showing in his return to action. And he may want to consider permanently hanging them up after yet another convincing loss, with just one of the three judges giving him a round.
