Capitalism and the rise of YouTube boxing
News sources confirmed on Monday that Floyd Mayweather would be boxing Logan Paul this coming February in an exhibition fight. As a long time boxing fan and a pure lover of the sport, this news worried me to some extent. I am happy for the fighters and their teams and promoters and for the fans who will be entertained for some time on that fateful evening. But the rise of YouTube boxing does point to some sinister findings. Capitalism seems to be able to transform and bend anything to its will to make money and create more fame.
There is no doubt that millions upon millions of fans will tune in to watch the fight. The inexperienced of us, those who perhaps only got into boxing once it got coupled up with YouTube, will somehow believe there is a scenario where Logan Paul has a chance in hell. The fact is, there just isn’t, and to me the appeal of any sort of fight, especially an official professional fight, is that there must be a possibility of either man to win. Even that one in a million chance should exist. However, this is entirely missing so that makes this event a pure cash grab by both men, their promoters, managers, and everyone else who has their hand in the pot.
And the combination of YouTube fame and boxing seems to be a perfect combination. The combination is so lethal that most YouTube boxing events are outselling and outperforming championship heavyweight fights of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder (the 3 current heavyweight champions). In fact, the recent event featuring Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr, with Jake Paul on the undercard fighting NBA star Nate Robinson, sold 350,000 more pay per views in the United States than the last heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which was a heavily contested and hyped heavyweight fight. Of course legends like Tyson and Jones Jr. did help sell that event, but there is no doubt that Jake Paul’s YouTube fame and followers heavily aided in garnering attention and viewers to the event. Mike Tyson also acknowledged this after the fight, stating “Boxing needs to thank Youtubers for bringing our sport back”.
Privilege and favoritism
I want to go over the trajectory of a hopeful talented teenage boy who hopes one day to become a boxing champion. That boy starts training at 9. He trains six days a week for ten years, fighting as an amateur during that time. If he has a strong record, meaning very few losses, he will likely go pro at the age of 18 when he becomes an adult. Then when turning pro, he has to be lucky enough to have the right trainer and manager and team around him. Most managers exploit the living hell out of boxers and then not every trainer is good for you either. If he is talented enough he will rise through the ranks over the course of a few more years, as long as he avoids bad management, shady promoters, and bad fights stylistically which lead to losses. Let’s assume he makes it through this maze of different factors and one day becomes a world champion. Finally, he is famous and is earning good money and he has the ranking to challenge someone like Floyd Mayweather for a title. We just covered a 15-year journey, one that only the most talented and lucky boxers can even make. The stars have to align.
Now let’s take Youtuber Logan Paul. Someone pitched to him that fighting KSI would make both millions of dollars and more internet fame. They decided to fight each other on the 25th of August 2018. Both men trained for a few months. The fight would take place in amateur format with headgear because both are completely new to the sport and they can’t fight without it. It would be irresponsible to assume they should fight without. The fight is a huge hit, breaking YouTube records for viewers watched and due to the popularity and perhaps interest from both men, both fighters agreed to a rematch but this time without headgear and as professional boxers. This is where the sinister nature of capitalism begins to shine. Some strings are pulled and the athletic commission decides that both men can have pro boxing licenses.
Both men and other Youtubers as well, who were featured on the undercard, like the younger Paul brother, were given a professional boxing license to make the next event happen, which took place on the 9th of November 2019. Because of internet clout and capitalism, both men just skipped over something which is earned only by achieving some level of mastery over the course of about ten to fifteen years. A level that millions of young boys dreamed of but never reached because of circumstances, bad management, lack of talent, and just bad luck.
We need to acknowledge the implications of the ability of the privileged and famous few and their ability to skip the line in a sort of way. This is a sport with a rich history where advancement is earned, not given. They can at the end of the day call themselves pro boxers without having earned that privilege. And while most of us acknowledge that they are just pretending, they exist by title and name as a boxer. And this fact diminishes the sport of boxing. The essence of being a boxer and what that means is temporarily diminished, at least for a while.
In the purest sense, these are our modern court jesters, except they are loved and respected and the most famous character in the room. And most people are fooled.
There are some good sides to this. Each of the youtube boxing events have also raised tremendous interest in the sport, which some would argue, was slowly dying or just stagnating, being eclipsed by the UFC. While many will only tune in to support their favorite Youtubers, some will undoubtedly wonder who the other men on the undercard are. There will be some spill into the actual sport of boxing, and I see that as a great thing.
The recent Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones jr. event also raised millions for charity. This is of course a fantastic side effect of the Youtube boxing model. After the fight, Mike Tyson was asked if he would consider returning to the real sport of boxing. He answered that he would never return but would continue to fight for charity. Here he reveals that there are two worlds within boxing, the mastery of the sport and the entertainment side. Those two worlds should exist, but the differences should be acknowledged and respected.
