YouTube star Adam Saleh has been confirmed as the opponent for Patrice Evra's first foray into the boxing ring next month.
The celebrity duo will go to battle at London's O2 Arena on April 30 on the undercard of 'the world's scariest man' Martyn Ford's boxing debut against 'the Iranian Hulk' Sajad Gharibi. Saleh, who has around 4.77million subscribers on his main YouTube channel, is returning to the ring for the fourth time on the event.
Newfound promotion Boxstar, who staged a similar celebrity fight night in Manchester last year, will put on the show at the iconic London venue. While Evra hasn't boxed before, his legendary football career saw him win five Premier League titles, a Champions League, two Serie A medals and a Club World Cup among countless trophies, and his athletic gifts are miles ahead of his rival's.
Here's all you need to know about Adam Saleh....
Who is Adam Saleh?
New York-born social media influencer Adam Saleh is one of the biggest YouTube stars in the Middle East, and has a sizable audience across the US and UK as well. He is 28-years-old and was born on June 4 1993 in Brooklyn.
Saleh began posting in 2012, and amassed a following of around 4.77m on his main YouTube vlog channel and 2.49m on his now-dormant second channel. He has also accrued 1.5m on Instagram and Facebook as well as 362,000+ on Twitter, bringing his follower total to over 10million across all platforms.
He is known for his outlandish video blogs, which he initially posted with friends before breaking out on his own and becoming a massive creator on the platform. Since July 2012 he has gained almost 1.5billion views on his main channel and a further 255m on his second one.
What is his boxing background?
Saleh has boxed on the YouTube circuit three times, going 2-0-1 with wins over MMA journeyman Marcus Stephenson and Anas AlShayib and a draw with Walid Sharks. He also had a number of "street boxing matches" during his early career, with videos of his fights drawing millions of views on YouTube.
Are you excited for Adam Saleh to fight Patrice Evra on April 30? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Saleh is also reported to have had over 30 amateur bouts, although recorded information on exactly how many or what his record was is difficult to come across. His win over Stephenson was shrouded in controversy after accusations that the bout was fixed emerged almost two years later, but that has never been confirmed.
Will Adam Saleh beat Patrice Evra?
The smart money in this fight would likely be on Saleh to win, likely by decision or a late stoppage. He has boxed under the lights on three separate occasions at the Coca-Cola Arena and London's York Hall, and knows how to deal with the nerves of the big occasions.
Of course, Evra is the far superior athlete, having played at the absolute top level of the world's biggest sport. But he has only recently started boxing, and as Jake Paul thought Nate Robinson and even fighters such as Ben Askren in his career, the skillset needed for boxing is not incredibly transferable.
However, in Evra's favour is that Saleh is around 5'6", while the ex-Manchester United star is 5'9" and will likely have most of the physical advantages including weight and reach.
