YouTube star KSI began his return to the boxing ring with a second round knockout over rap rival Swarmz.
The duo were once friends when they recorded the single Houdini in 2020 and became bitter enemies over disputes with the promotion. They settled that feud in the ring tonight at a sold out O2 arena in London, with KSI dropping his rival within seconds.
Swarmz was able to beat the 10 count, but was struggling from the first bell, spending most of his time desperately trying to avoid the onslaught of his opponent and he was again on the canvas with a slip towards the end of the round. Fans were surprised in their own right to see the musician even make it out of the opening stanza, although he landed barely any offence after struggling to get off his stool.
KSI had him down again within seconds, and the bout was waved off much to the delight of the capacity London crowd. The Watford native hardly broke a sweat and bowed to the fans before congratulating his opponent on a solid outing after just two weeks of boxing training.
The YouTuber was supposed to face Alex Wassabi, but the American pulled out on three weeks’ notice, forcing the rapper in as a replacement. KSI also added in Mexican journeyman Luis Pineda for the main event, but the so-called professional was almost worse than Swarmz as he was dropped seven times before the fight was finally stopped in the third round.
Here are the results from the rest of the fights on the card...
Deen The Great beat Evil Hero
Deen The Great knocked out Evil Hero in his boxing debut to announce himself on the YouTube boxing scene, but almost knocked himself out with his post-fight celebration.
Evil Hero attempted to box with his rival, but was dropped not once, but twice by a man who appears to have the skills of a legitimate professional boxer after months of training at JackRabbit Boxing. Hero had been training at BrickHouse in California, but couldn't put together the moves needed to keep up with a seasoned amateur.
A third knockdown ultimately saw the fight stopped, and Deen was declared the winner by TKO in his YouTube boxing debut. His post-fight backflip was possibly the most damage he was caused on the night, but he remained in tact and will be out again before the end of the year.
Fans can expect Deen to continue on Misfits Boxing events under the guidance of Keemstar and Fousey's new Happy Punch Promotions, with a number of social media stars on his hitlist.
Sam Hyde beat IAMTHMPSN
Controversial comedian Sam Hyde landed a vicious knockout in his YouTube boxing debut against heavyweight rival IAMTHMPSN.
The former Adult Swim star adopted an outrageous 'Irish Candyman' persona throughout fight week, and bemused fans with his antics in the pre-fight media obligations. But he was no joke in the ring as he faced a game Australian opponent who gave as he good as he got in the first round despite a quiet build-up to the action.
THMPSN arguably won the first round with telegraphed shots as Hyde, an outlandish and outspoken character during fight week, struggled to cope with the nerves in front of a capacity London crowd. But he came into his own in the second, and despite struggling with his cardio began to take control behind a jab that belies his brief boxing experience.
And despite THMPSN indicating that his success would be in the later rounds, an assessment with which Hyde agreed, it was the Candyman who took the fight to his rival as the fight went on. He landed a number of massive shots, and took some of his own, and saw two standing eight counts before the referee ultimately waved the bout off.
Hyde is now at a crossroads in his boxing career, having called out political commentator Hasan Piker. He indicated in a candid interview with Mirror Fighting he will retire from the sport if Piker refuses to answer his call, meaning fans may have seen the last of the 'Irish Candyman'.
Salt Papi beat Andy Warski
Salt Papi's boxing return lasted no longer than 29 seconds as he made short work of streamer Andy Warski on the undercard of KSI's boxing return.
The Tik Tok star has emerged as one of influencer boxing's biggest breakout stars after his debut against Halal Ham at Showstar Boxing last year, and exploded with a 'blink and you'll miss it' knockout tonight. Warski had battled back from drug addiction to make his boxing debut, but he didn't get to land a punch as he was dropped with a huge right seconds into the contest.
The referee began counting, but Warski was unable to get up and the bout was ultimately waved off after less than half a minute for a lightning quick stoppage. Salt Papi, who was recently signed to Happy Punch Promotions under Keemstar and Yusef 'Fousey' Erakat, will likely return at Misfits Boxing's October event after taking next to no damage in his second outing.
King Kenny beat FaZe Sensei
British YouTube star King Kenny took a controversial majority decision victory over Faze Sensei to become the ICB International cruiserweight champion.
The Watford native defeated his second opponent from the Faze Clan after losing his first one to Temperrr back in March in similarly controversial circumstances. The Brit started strong in the first, showing the natural boxing skill that comes with being a member of a boxing family.
But Sensei, a combat sports veteran by YouTuber standards in the world of kick-boxing and karate, began to dominate in the second, and had a standing eight that could have changed the contest. Kenny almost went down under massive shots in the third, but was able to stay upright before taking a tight round in the fourth.
The look on the Brit's face said it all as the scorecards were read out and he was granted his first boxing win in front of a raucous supportive crowd. However, he'll need to wait a few days after seeing his last win overturned in an unprecedented rescore, with Sensei likely to attempt a similar route.
Deji beat Fousey
Deji was looking to end a run of three straight defeats and immediately showed a much-improved performance compared to his last outing against Alex Wassabi in March. He dominated the first round from the opening bell as he troubled Fousey from his southpaw stance.
And Deji continued to impress in the second session which culminated in him dumping Fousey on the canvas with a jab. Fousey recovered but his night did not improve in the third round as he was given a standing count by the referee - and the towel came in from his corner seconds later.
FaZe Temperrr vs Slim Albaher
Slim stepped in at short notice after Blueface was forced to pull out with legal issues and he looked to waste no time in setting to work. Both men were wild with their shots but few of their punches found a home in the opening round.
It was Slim who was in the ascendancy in the second round as he put his superior experience to good use. And after landing flush with his right hand, he unleashed a barrage of shots to dump FaZe Temperrr on the canvas. Although he rose, he was on incredibly wobbly legs, leaving the referee with no choice but to wave the fight off.
