Jake Paul and KSI have verbally agreed to fight next year, but the American's promotional company have poured cold water on the idea by claiming the bout won't be sanctioned.
Both men have been licensed in California, one of the strictest athletic commissions in the world, during their brief fighting careers. However, Paul has moved up to 5-0 as a professional, and could earn a sixth win against Anderson Silva later this year, while KSI is officially just 1-0 despite knocking out two opponents on Saturday night.
The Brit defeated rapper Swarmz and 2-5 professional boxer Luis Pineda in front of a sold-out crowd at The O2 arena last weekend, but neither bout was approved by the British Boxing Board of Control, and his BoxRec page still has his record marked as 1-0 for his 2019 split-decision victory over Logan Paul.
KSI's true record, if you include white-collar bouts and whatever the official title for his events last weekend would be, is 4-0-1, while Paul's is 6-0 after his one white collar win over Deji in 2018 and his five wins as a professional. And his promotional company Most Valuable Promotions believe that the skill difference between the pair is so significant now that no commission will sanction a full professional bout.
MVP have been active on social media as they prepare to announce Paul's next bout; believed to be October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona against Anderson Silva. They have been mocking KSI's boxing credentials and responded to one fan in the Instagram comments of a post by news outlet The Bread Batch by saying "Unlikely it will ever get sanctioned by a real boxing commission. Skill sets are too far apart."
Do you still want to see KSI and Jake Paul fight next year at Wembley Stadium? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Paul and KSI had previously made a verbal agreement to fight next summer in Wembley, but after watching his rival fight in what were essentially glorified exhibition bouts on Saturday night the American may be less keen. Though KSI, Swarmz and Pineda all wore 10oz gloves and competed over three minute rounds, neither KSI or Pineda's professional records were touched while Swarmz doesn't have one.
" Jake Paul and KSI aren't in the same sport," MVP wrote in an Instagram story today after Misfits Boxing, KSI's promotion, bragged of hitting a higher follower count than their American rivals. "One is a boxer and one plays boxing with young children and rappers who admit they never boxed a day in their life.
"One is defined by Google as a pro boxer and one as a celebrity influencer. Congrats on celebrating follower counts. You will never be A-Side in boxing. You are welcome to be A-Side on followers and likes."