Jake Paul is still YouTube's best boxer, but after an exciting night of fights at The O2 arena in London on Saturday our rankings of influencer boxing look very different to how they did back in May.
KSI is still right up there amongst the best, but a number of new contenders have emerged such as the ever-impressive Salt Papi and Deen The Great from Happy Punch Promotions. We've also knocked a few more inactive fighters off the list, as well as including influencers who have boxed, but are not necessarily a part of the YouTuber scene.
There will be a number of big fights coming up within the next few months, including three Misfits boxing shows before the end of January and Austin McBroom's showdown with AnEsonGib in September. Plans are also in place for the return of Creator Clash next year as well as a number of other smaller events such as Showstar Boxing and KingPyn.
Here are our current rankings of the best influencer boxers...
1. Jake Paul
He hasn't fought this year, although this is through no fault of his own, and the younger Paul brother is still far and away the best boxer on the platform. He was due to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr on August 6, but both were forced to pull out for different reasons.
There is a belief that KSI will fight Jake Paul next year at Wembley Stadium, but this won't stop the American from getting out again in October. He is expected to face a professional boxer with a winning record, although no name has been confirmed as yet.
Paul has knocked out Deji and AnEsonGib, two of YouTube's most famous boxers, as well as basketball player Nate Robinson and ex-Bellator champion Ben Askren. He also beat former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley twice, including one vicious stoppage back in December.
Who do you believe are the best YouTube boxers that we left off our list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
2. KSI
YouTube boxing technically began with Theo Baker and Joe Weller's fight, but the first major event to come on the scene saw KSI defeat Weller in front of a sold out Copper Box Arena. That would set up his call-out of Jake and Logan Paul, the elder of whom he fought twice in 2018 and 2019.
He drew with Logan first in the Manchester Arena before going on to beat him by split decision in California, and was heading for a crunch clash with Jake months later. But the coronavirus put a temporary stop to his boxing journey as he began to focus on music, which has become a wildly successful venture with a number of chart-topping singles and albums.
KSI returned to the ring on Saturday night for an unprecedented double-header card where he faced rapper Swarmz and Mexican boxer Luis Pineda. He knocked them both out in comical mismatches, and will move on to a more challenging opponent in January.
3. Slim Albaher
Fans were outraged when we ranked Albaher so high on our list last time around, complaining that his previous opponents weren't good enough to warrant such high praise. But he announced himself on the biggest stage over the weekend with a vicious second-round knockout over Thomas 'Faze Temperrr' Oliveira at The O2 arena.
Albaher had previously stopped Yusef 'Fousey' Erakat, N&A Productions and 3Bidaaan in his outings under Amir Khan's promotional banner and the Social Knockout stable in Dubai. But the combination of his clear boxing prowess and his lack of a major following meant that he was often shunned when it came to major fights in the UK or America.
But after rapper Blueface was removed from his fight with Temperrr, the New York native was drafted in at short notice to co-main event in one of the biggest influencer boxing events of all time. He struggled with the bigger opponent at first, but in the second landed a few clean shots before ultimately ending the night with a big right hand.
4. Salt Papi
The fans love TikTok star Salt Papi, and there's an argument to be made that he may be one of the best technical boxers on our list. He outboxed heavyweight Halal Ham on Showstar Boxing's debut back in March with a performance that matched his charisma and attracted thousands to his fanbase.
After signing with Daniel 'Keemstar' Keem and Erakat's Happy Punch Promotions, Salt Papi was quickly put on the card for KSI's return and he did not disappoint. Streamer Andy Warski looked to be a worthy adversary during fight week, making the bout interesting with his verbal attacks on the microphone.
But it took the Brit just 29 seconds to put his rival's lights out and land one of the quickest and most brutal knockouts in YouTube boxing history. He's put KSI on notice, but he may need to beat some bigger names before consolidating his position.
5. AnEsonGib
There will be people upset that we've put Gib below Salt Papi, and he will certainly overtake him again if we re-do these rankings after his showdown with Austin McBroom next week. The Saudi Arabian-born British YouTuber has all but given up social media and takes boxing incredibly seriously, but has been given just two fights since 2019 for his troubles.
Gib will take on a very tough opponent on September 10 when he faces McBroom in California, which was supposed to happen back in July. A minor medical issue caused the commission to delay the bout, but Gib has a full bill of health and will now compete in his first main event.
His current record is 3-1-0, although BoxRec would tell you that he's just 0-1 as his sole professional bout was his first round stoppage against Jake Paul. He had previously beaten MaxPlaysFifa and Jay Swingler, and came back by defeating Tayler Holder last summer on McBroom's undercard.
6. Thor Bjornsson
Super-heavyweight Bjornsson looks to be trying to get himself an exhibition bout with Tyson Fury, arguably one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He would certainly struggle to get himself in the ring with many influencers given his massive size, weighing in at 335lb and standing 6'9".
He beat Hall by unanimous decision, putting his rival down three times and getting off the canvas a couple of times in his own right, back in March. It appears that the Game of Thrones star and former strongman wants to stick around in the boxing world, but needs to find abnormally large opponents who are few and far between.
Bjornsson has also had two exhibition bouts against legitimate boxers in Steven Ward and Simon Valily. While those were relatively light and had no winner scored, the standard is still much higher than many on our list.
7. Deen The Great
Youngster Deen the Great made his name with YouTube videos where he would organise street fights with fans, including one where he boxed a policeman who attempted to break them up. He has since moved from Florida to California, where he trains at JackRabbit Boxing in Long Beach.
There's a very real possibility that Deen The Great is heading for the professional game, and caught the eye of Chris Eubank Jr during the broadcast of last weekend's show. He dropped Evil Hero, who himself was a decent little boxer for the influencer level, three times before ultimately getting a first round stoppage.
Deen told Mirror Fighting that he would like to fight Ryan Garcia, but he may need a few more fights at a higher level to prove he's anywhere near that. For now, a bout with Jarvis Khattri seems a good start...
8. Dad
Nathan Barnatt, who goes by a number of characters including the now infamous 'Dad', burst on to the YouTube boxing scene with a stunning 22-second stoppage of Matt Watson in his debut at May's Creator Clash. He was little-known heading into the event, but appears to be a cardio king judging by his lengthy dancing live streams.
IDubbbz, the event's promoter, was keen to stress in the build-up to May's event that they had been keeping up with fighters' training and the fights were well-matched. If that's true, it would make Dad's flawless KO of Watson all the more impressive as he brutalised the younger fighter without being touched even once.
He has since called out a number of big-name YouTubers as well as Platinum recording artist Oliver Tree. Mirror Fighting understands that contact has been made by at least one promoter in the UK about bringing him across the pond, while Creator Clash 2 may be an option next year.
9. Austin McBroom
McBroom could have landed higher on this list if he was able to fight and beat AnEsonGib during the planned July 30 bout between the pair. However, that was postponed due to a medical issue until September 11, with the pair both angling for major fights in the future.
KSI has expressly mentioned McBroom vs Gib as a potential fight that could decide his next opponent, with the American a long-time rival of his. However, Gib is a close friend of KSI's, and that fight seems a much tougher sell than the built-in KSI vs McBroom rivalry.
The American is 1-0 as a boxer after dominating Tik Tok star Bryce Hall last summer in the debut of Social Gloves in Miami. It remains to be seen how he will do against a legitimately difficult opponent such as Gib next week.
10. Logan Paul
There's no doubt that we have ranked worse boxers ahead of Logan Paul on this list, but the fact of the matter is that on three attempts he has been unable to win a fight. He drew with KSI and then lost a contentious split decision, before going the distance with Floyd Mayweather in an unscored exhibition fight.
The elder Paul brother has sparred with some major names, but he desperately needs a win if he wants to have any sort of legacy in the boxing world. He is currently pursuing a career as a WWE superstar, and could find success for a title there given his impressive start to his career.
He is currently eager to fight Dillon Danis, possibly on a January card with his pal KSI, who wants to take on kickboxer Andrew Tate.
