When I was talking to my friends about boxing needing to “make a comeback,” this wasn’t necessarily what I had in mind. But if the goal is for both sides to make money and put on a show for a bunch of interested fans, then perhaps this idea isn’t as preposterous as it sounds.
This “idea” is not just a couple of YouTubers talking smack back and forth on the internet anymore. The contract has been inked, and we’re just a couple days away from fight #1.
Saturday, August 25th, will be the first of two bouts between KSI and Logan Paul, two men known for their extravagant personalities on the media platform YouTube.
KSI has been training mightily in order to prepare for his time in the ring. Meanwhile, Logan Paul isn’t taking matters lightly either, as Paul has been seen training at Floyd Mayweather’s Gym as one of his forms of preparation.
By now, most of you know way more than you probably want (or need) to know about these two distinguishable characters. But I understand that not everyone keeps up to date with YouTube channels and the latest gossip about Generation Z entrepreneurs.
For those of you who normally bet on more typical sporting contests, allow me to briefly introduce each “fighter.” I’ll then get into the juicy stuff, where I give you my prediction and talk about some of the interesting prop bets attached to this spectacle!
At 25 years old, I’m not really even sure what to call KSI anymore. He made a name for himself by playing and talking about FIFA, the soccer video game, but he now calls himself a rapper and comedian. That’s on top of being an actor.
If you are late to the party, then you may have missed KSI take on Joe Weller, another YouTube personality, in a boxing match earlier this year in February. KSI was able to dispatch Weller via TKO in the 3rd round, so I’m sure he has plenty of confidence as Saturday’s fight approaches.
If you were curious as to how many men and women were interested in that fight, perhaps the staggering number of 21 million YouTube views on fight night will open your eyes to what this world has become.
That doesn’t include the 25+ million views the fight received in the days following the match.
For crying out loud, KSI was even presented with the YouTube Boxing Championship Belt. For those of you that are boxing purists, I know this is hard to take in, and you probably feel like throwing up. But this is just the reality of where things are going in this day and age!
The one thing I will say about KSI is that everything I’ve read has said he is taking this fight very seriously. TMZ Sports caught KSI getting in some last-minute reps, and I will say, the guy does look to be in pretty good shape.
On the other hand, Logan Paul apparently isn’t treating this fight like a joke, as rumor has it that Logan Paul has bet $1 million on himself to win.
Logan Paul is two years younger than KSI, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he is any less brash. In fact, he was in the center of attention when he uploaded a video on New Year’s Eve 2017 of a man hanging in “suicide forest” at the base of Mount Fuji.
Paul endured extreme backlash for this incident and vowed to his fans that he learned a lesson and would become a better man. But the fact remains that if he is as insensitive and heartless as he appears, surely he’ll have no problem trying to attack another man in a ring, right?
Logan can be funny, and he knows how to make his fans tick, but I see a dude who is packed with plenty of “mean bones” in his body.
Logan is going to step into the ring Saturday night at Manchester Arena as the taller and heavier man, and anyone who follows boxing knows those are both distinct advantages. But let’s be sincere for a moment.
Neither of these men are professional boxers, as both are simply here to grow their brands and make some money. That’s why I feel like whoever has more anger and emotions built up inside about the entire situation is the man who will be left standing.
For those of you who do most of your betting at BetOnline, you’ll find KSI at +110, while Logan Paul is sitting at -130. The same odds are available at Bovada, but don’t think your only choice is to bet on who wins this fight.
Betway did us plenty of favors by lining up an assortment of props related to this unique boxing match. Just because most fans are looking at this purely as a form of entertainment doesn’t mean you have to ignore the opportunity to pad your bank account.
Keep in mind that I have a perfect track record when picking YouTube boxing matches. I have never lost a single fight.
Okay, so I might be 0-0 and brand new to this thing, but I’ll give it my best shot. I’ll even resort to a common tactic that most of you sports bettors are aware of.
You’ll see above that this match is taking place at Manchester Arena, in the homeland of KSI. He’ll have a significant “home-field” advantage and should have more adrenaline running than he’s ever had in his life.
Meanwhile, Logan Paul is traveling across the pond to a hostile environment and will be hearing plenty of boos and criticism.
More importantly than that from a betting perspective, I found it very interesting that Paul agreed to let KSI keep 100% of the ticket sales for the first fight in the UK. The tradeoff is that Logan gets to keep all of the revenue from the second fight.
That makes me think that Logan just wants to fast-forward things and get to that second exhibition as quickly and painlessly as possible.
The date and venue are still up in the air for fight #2, but it will undoubtedly be in America and sometime before February of 2019. We can’t forget that the whole reason this fight is getting so much publicity is because these guys are infatuated with having people watch and care about what they are doing on a minute-to-minute basis.
The best way to hype up a “rematch” in Logan Paul’s backyard is if KSI can win the first fight, thus creating an even more pressure-packed scenario for Paul.
I won’t be naïve to the fact that all of this could mean nothing, but it’s at least something that I can hang my hat on.
Now that you know who I think will win the fight, let me show you where else I am looking to try and make some money.
Take a look below at the way I want to approach betting this fight. I’ll point out the two props that are catching my eye.
Before any of my American readers get confused, here’s our odds converter for you to translate those decimals into more common odds you are familiar with.
To make things easy, I’ll quickly do the dirty work for you. This wager means that you can get +120 on your money if the fight lasts the distance. The 1.61 number represents a -164 price that you have to lay if you think the fight ends before the 6th round is completed.
I’m not one who typically loves laying -164, but in this specific wager, I’m all aboard. Boxing is extremely tiring, especially when two inexperienced fighters figure to be in there trading an abundance of blows.
I can’t really envision a scenario where this fight goes the distance, as neither man is adequately trained to withstand a beating for that long of a time.
On top of that, the “no” bet means we have ample ways to win. It doesn’t matter who is victorious or if it’s by KO or TKO. Any result other than a decision after 6 rounds means you collect your winnings.
That’s my kind of bet.
I’m not going to pretend I know exactly how to pick apart and analyze this fight. It’s not exactly as if we have tons of footage and past results to fall back on to see how good of boxers these two men are.
But I get the feeling that neither man likes the other very much, as evidenced by their families now getting involved in the beef. For this reason, I don’t expect to see each individual dancing around the ring when the first bell sounds off.
I fully anticipate each man trying to knock their opponent’s head off, and I expect to see a flurry of opening punches. In the event that one of the hooks or uppercuts knocks someone upside their feet during the first minute of the fight, I want to make sure I get my hands on this amazing upside.
The 15.0 decimal represents a +1400 bet, and that’s what I call a handsome payout.
Because neither of these men are seasoned fighters, the chances that one of them lets their emotions get the best of them and forgets to put up their guard is a legitimate possibility.
In my eyes, it’s certainly greater than 1 in 14. You know what that means.
It’s time to place the bet!
It’s still mind-boggling to me that they are charging up to £516 for a ticket to this boxing match. It’s even more astonishing to me that people are willing to cough up that much money for a seat in the arena.
The fact that more people are interested in betting on this match than a traditional boxing fight tells me all I need to know about the direction that our society is heading in.
Unfortunately, those days (in the mid-‘90s) of Mike Tyson fighting Evander Holyfield at the MGM Grand Arena in front of every red-carpet movie star you could think of are way, way behind us. Perhaps Sin City is no longer the boxing capital of the world.
Maybe it’s “YouTube” that takes over as the central location to watch the most prestigious fights around the globe. Because whether you decide to tune in or not won’t change the truth.
People around the world are obsessed with the ongoing dispute between KSI and Logan Paul.
After all, you just spent the last 5 or so minutes reading an article previewing their fight!
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