YouTube star Harry Pinero is eyeing up a boxing debut next year after watching pals like Deji and King Kenny pick up big wins inside the ring.
Pinero is one of the most recognisable faces on social media for British youngsters due to his involvement in a number of memorable videos that have gone viral on TikTok. And he cemented his place as a major player in the UK's social media scene when he put in one of the standout performances in this year's Sidemen charity football match.
And speaking with Mirror Fighting in an exclusive chat to promote his partnership with Peperami, Pinero has admitted that he is keen to become one of the next major YouTube boxers in future. He was in attendance for Deji's loss to Alex Wassabi in March, but was able to watch on as pal King Kenny picked up a win over Faze Temperrr that was later reversed.
"I used to box when I was younger," Pinero said, before joking that he quit to "make room for Anthony Joshua ". "I basically stopped to let him get to where he is now but I might jump back on it now, it just has to make sense. I need to build myself up in my career a bit more, become a bigger name and then step into the ring.
"But the money has got to be right, because if I'm getting knocked out it's got to be the right price. At first this stuff is like a joke because we're YouTubers and people are asking what we're doing in the ring. But then you actually see how hard these guys are working."
He has worked closely with the Beta Squad, which features Chunkz, Niko Omilana, AJ Shabeel, Sharky and King Kenny, who has recently made the transition into boxing. Kenny was initially granted a win on his debut before the result was overturned in a bizarre re-score, but he came back in August to defeat Faze Sensei for the ICB international cruiserweight title.
And with Kenny set to return next month in Texas, Pinero has seen how seriously even YouTuber boxers must take the sport in order to be successful. "I was in the house with them [the Beta Squad] recording videos and he's not there," Pinero explained. "He's literally in the gym training and working hard.
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"You can actually see that this is not a joke and these people are putting their bodies at risk and really going hard. It's hard to watch your friend get punched and whether he loses or wins it's definitely a moment where you have to have some sort of composure. At the end of the day it's all worth it because they've out themselves through such gruelling training and crazy rounds."
And watching his friends compete has given him a feeling that he could compete, although he hasn't got any opponent or date in mind for when the bout could happen. KSI's new Misfits Boxing is offering creators a multitude of opportunities to compete, and Pinero would certainly be a name in high demand.
"I just have so much respect for them and it makes me feel like maybe I could this myself as well," he continued. "I've definitely thought about it so you never know, it might happen soon - I wouldn't fight anyone in the Beta Squad, it couldn't Filly or any of that lot. It needs to be my friend, but someone who I wouldn't mind knocking out if you know what I mean?"
