Influencer Boxing Is Dying: Here’s How To Fix It

Influencer Boxing was at one point, one of the most popular and talked about things on the internet. Whether it was KSI and Deji taking on the Paul Brothers, setting us up for the huge trajectories that now are KSI and Jake Paul, or the likes of AnesonGib, Austin McBroom, and many more beefing over social media in order to set up big events, it felt like the entire YouTube space was tuned in to see some hands get thrown. Now, the hype is slightly taking a dip and there’s a reason for that. 

Is Influencer Boxing Still Popular?

It all started off with YouTubers making Diss Tracks against each other to promote a fight or simply making videos to call out other creators, which led to excitement from fans sitting on the edge of their seats anticipating who would drop a new video next. Then, as the likes of Jake Paul and KSI started to seemingly take the boxing thing seriously, everyone started to lessen their social media posts and focus more on training to follow in their footsteps. While that isn’t a bad thing to get more training in, less promotion brings on fewer eyes. 

There are many conflicting opinions in the scene about whether or not “pros” should be allowed to compete with influencers and if influencers should take it less seriously than they are. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I believe in letting everyone fight, pro or not, because the real issue is simple. Promotion.

As I mentioned earlier, influencers used to make weekly videos or even songs to trash-talk their opponents and sadly, that’s starting to die out. We’d be lucky if we even get a simple tweet or an Instagram post from fighters throwing jabs at each other. Obviously, this needs to change. And while it is up to the fighters themselves to promote their own fights, I don’t think all the backlash should be put on their fighters, because the promotions themselves could do a better job too. 

Misfits Boxing and KingPyn Boxing are the top two most talked about influencer promotions currently. While Misfits is much more successful, and KingPyn has had its fair share of issues, there’s one thing that KingPyn does better than any other promotion and that’s giving fighters promotion on their own platforms. 

KingPyn has a series on their YouTube channel called “Road To Victory”. A roughly sub-twenty-minute video highlighting single fighters for their upcoming bouts and showing training footage, interviews, and trash talk leading into their fights. While they’ve only done two so far, one for Gib and one for Jarvis for their upcoming fight on July 15th, at least they’re doing something. Absolutely yes, they should be doing more, but we’ve seen KingPyn do round tables and face-to-face interviews for their previous event, and even a watch along with other creators that did decent on their social platforms. 

Misfits on the other hand, could definitely use help in this department. Since they’re the top number one influencer promotion in the world, it baffles me how bad their own YouTube game is. They have 115 thousand YouTube Subscribers and have put out zero fighter content on their channel for their upcoming event on July 22nd. In the past month, they’ve uploaded an announcement video for the event, a short video explaining the rules of the ‘Survivor Tag’ bout, and a video with Mams Taylor and KeemStar talking about the event. Then, within the past day as of this writing, they uploaded a new series called “MF Fox News” where they talk about KingPyn’s cancellation and then suddenly return. 

While that content is great for what it is, where’s the content about fighters for the upcoming card? Where’s a roundtable with all four men in the survivor tag match? Where are face-to-face interviews? There’s so much content there to be created and it’s just not happening. Not to mention, when they do a press conference on fight week, they only have the host of the event asking questions, and not the media. Let the media talk, let the media ask good-quality questions to get good-quality answers out of the fighters. 

As much as it is up to the fighters to brand themselves and their fight, you’re a promotion for a reason. Promote your fighters! Help the fighters. If they make their own content, share it on your platforms, all of them, from Twitter to Instagram to the newly made threads. At the end of the day, fans loved influencer boxing because of the content we got out of it when it first began and it needs to be brought back. 

So, this is my shout-out to Mams Taylor, KeemStar, or anyone over at KingPyn, we hear at NoSmokeSport will interview and help promote the upcoming fights and events. Face-to-face interviews, solo interviews, whatever it takes to help bring out content. The fans are craving more. If we have nothing to talk about and there’s no hype for the event, then the buys are low, and eventually, no one will care anymore. 

From the top fighters to the opening bout on the prelims, fighters need to promote and promotions need to signal boost and promote them as well. This goes for the pros, too. Current UFC stars and boxing professionals on the big stage also continue to promote themselves even if they’re the biggest star in the world. It’s time to stop being complacent with your situation before it ends up going. Also, It’s time to make some new stars, so when the current creators retire, things can continue running for a long, long time. 

Bring back content creation. That’s all the fans ask for. 

By: Brady Alexander

Also, readRing Of Honor Results: July 6, 2023