YouTube star JMX is planning to launch his boxing comeback in style this weekend after accepting a short-notice fight with TikTok sensation Ginty.
The giant 6'5" influencer has struggled to get fights due to his imposing size, two impressive boxing wins and a brutal second-round TKO in his MMA debut at the end of 2019. Initially due to fight three different opponents including Too Hot To Handle 's Chase DeMoor, JMX has now been matched with Callum Ginty, who is 1-0 in his own right.
JMX's real name is Joel Morris, a FIFA YouTuber who has transitioned into behind-the-scenes work of the business side of his Xcademy venture for budding creators and other start-ups. But he has been keen to get back in the ring and earn some major fights after three wins across combat sports.
"It's been a nightmare, but I'm glad we're on it," he told Mirror Fighting . "I've been out for a very long time, had serious shoulder surgery for my messed up shoulder so I have two arms now! It's been good to get back into it and it'll be good to have a fight and dust off that ring rust. But then I'm coming for everyone, I think I can get to the very top of YouTube boxing so I'm excited to see what I can do.
"I've been training for the last four or five months consistently and otherwise it's been on and off. I'd taken kind of a sabbatical and I'll be completely honest I haven't been boxing the whole time, I won't pretend that I have. Things have been going really well and I've just been trying to improve myself, specifically in business, because that's what I want to do in the very long run."
JMX's main focus for the next few days is Ginty, but his sights are firmly set on landing a bout with DeMoor, a 6'3" 230lb former college football standout who has been tipped for the upcoming return of the XFL. DeMoor made his debut in a poor showing against Cory Wharton last month at Social Gloves 2, and Morris is keen to give him a proper test against an opponent his own size.
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"He didn't look great," Morris said of Demoor's debut. "He looked stiff as f***, I mean, I've seen some footage on Twitter where he's posted something and I've gone 'I don't even know if you're taking the p*** with this'. It looks like a serious post, but then the way he's hitting the bag I was not sure if he was taking the p***.
"But he's a big guy, the bigger they are the harder they fall, though. He's a big name in the US so we'll see if he wants it and it gets commissioned. But there's lots of different fights out there potentially after this, I want to get this one done, get the result and see what everything looks like."
He was once being viewed as a potential MMA opponent for Logan Paul when the American was keen to put his wrestling background to use, but the pandemic scuppered plans. And he isn't opposed to heading back to the cage if more influencers choose to get involved.
"I'm down to get back in the cage, it's just that at the moment boxing is what's popping off," he added. "That's where the opportunities are so I'm focusing on boxing but if someone like Logan Paul doesn't want to box me and he feels more comfortable in a cage, then lets shut the door in there and see what happens, I f***ing loved MMA, it was so much fun!"
