KSI has surprisingly placed YouTube rival Jake Paul above him when naming his top-five influencer boxers.
British star KSI relaunched his boxing career by beating Swarmz and Luis Pineda in his comeback fights last year before brutally knocking out FaZe Temperrr last month. The main aim of KSI's return to the influencer boxing scene is to settle his long-term rivalry with Paul which began after he called him out following his initial draw with Jake's brother Logan in 2018.
Since then Paul has gone on to thrive in his boxing career and has six wins as a professional including against MMA stars Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley. The 'Problem Child' is set to face Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia next weekend and a win could see him set up the mega-fight with KSI.
And ahead of any potential showdown, KSI appears to have offered rare praise for his foe when naming his pound-for-pound rankings from the influencer side of the pond. He said during an appearance in a gym on LadBible: "I would put Jake Paul at No.1. I'd say I'm in second. Third I think a lot of people would say Salt Papi so I will go with that.
"In fourth I would put somebody like Deen The Great. And then in fifth I would say [AnEson] Gib or Slim [Albaher], but I will go with Slim." KSI's naming of Paul drew laughs from the crowd who were in attendance during the interview, given their shock that he acknowledged his rival after extensive criticism.
The pair have regularly traded verbal barbs for several years and argued over who is the better YouTube boxer, which will be settled if they touch gloves in a high-profile encounter. Both fighters agreed to a winner-takes-all fight on social media last year, with the pair since renewing the agreement after KSI's recent win.
Who do you think is the better boxer - KSI or Jake Paul? Let us know in the comments section below
It is likely that the victor in that clash will view themselves as the leading fighter in the sport, with both also launching their own promotions since arriving on the scene. However KSI is extremely confident he will win and believes he has superior ring craft to his rival.
"The technique, bro, the technique is dangerous," KSI said in a YouTube video analysing his win over Temperrr, which was entitled 'This Is Why I'll Beat Jake Paul'. "It really is dangerous and I've still got so much more to learn, big up MVP; I'm talking about Michael 'Venom' Page, the only MVP that really counts, the only MVP that really matters.
"I know that people are going to be like 'yo, your technique sucks blah, blah, blah well f*** the technique then. I don't give a s***, f*** the technique. Let me touch your chin and let's see if you get up... I talked a lot before the event being super confident, feeling like I was on a different level but I think I've shown it now. Ultimately there's a main goal [fighting Paul] and I'm working towards that."
