YouTube star-turned-boxer KSI — real name Olajide Olatunji — has officially announced he is done with boxing, confirming that he will not face longtime rival Jake Paul in the ring
KSI, one of the pioneers of influencer boxing, first drew attention in 2018 with his fight against Logan Paul, which sold over a million pay-per-views.
He later founded Misfits Boxing, providing a platform for YouTubers and social media stars to compete.
But after a five-fight run in 2022-2023 that ended with a 3-1-1 record, KSI said he lost his love for the sport.
Yahoo News on Sunday quoted KSI as saying on The Ranveer Show, “I’d say the training, how physically and mentally draining it is, it’s just like nothing else.
“I’d say of everything I’ve done in my life, that is the hardest thing … By the seventh or eighth week, you’re like, ‘Why am I doing this? I hate this. This is horrible. I’m getting beat up. I don’t even want to get up anymore.’”
He went on to describe the physical toll:
“I fell ill, like, my body is starting to shut down because you’re just feeling sick. But you just have to fight through it. Every day, the same thing over and over and over again. That’s physically. Mentally, you’re just cooked.”
KSI also highlighted the mental strain of competing, especially given the uncertainty around big fights and results:
“You win? Fantastic. Best feeling ever. Euphoric. You’re over the moon,” he said. “You lose? ‘What a waste of my f–king time. What a waste. I literally spent 12 weeks of my life killing myself to not get the result I wanted.”
Regarding Jake Paul, KSI revealed that he had been offered tens of millions of dollars to face “The Problem Child,” but the fight never materialized due to excuses and weight issues.
“My main goal when I got into the boxing ring again was to fight Jake Paul and build Misfits,” KSI said. “Time and time and time again, it’s just excuse after excuse after excuse … I think I tried to build up again to try and fight Jake again, and then he was just getting heavier and heavier, trying to move the goal posts when it comes to weight. It got to the point where it was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m done.’”
“I’ve been offered $20 million to fight Jake Paul, $30 million to fight Jake Paul,” he revealed. “These guys can’t give me any amount of money to fight this guy. When it comes to boxing, I’m done.”
KSI emphasized that money was never his motivation:
“My fight with Tommy Fury… all the money I made, I gave it to my trainers. All of it. For me, I don’t do stuff for this,” he said.
He also shared his frustration with missed opportunities and fight negotiations:
“I tried. My main goal when I got into the boxing ring again was to fight Jake Paul and build Misfits. I built Misfits, tried to fight Jake Paul time and time and time again, but there was excuse after excuse after excuse.
“Instead of Tommy Fury, I was there ready to fight Jake Paul. I was ready. I was there. And instead, he fought Nate Diaz. And at that point, I had to fight Tommy Fury,” he continued.
“I tried to build up again, to then try and fight Jake,” added Olatunji. “And then he was just getting heavier and heavier and heavier, trying to move the goalposts when it comes to weight. Then it got to the point where I was like, ‘What am I doing, man?’”
With boxing behind him, KSI will now focus on music, business, and expanding his entertainment ventures.
While the long-anticipated fight with Jake Paul may never happen, KSI’s role in bringing influencer boxing into the mainstream remains undisputed.
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