Talk about a rumble! Logan Paul was docked 2 points after knocking KSI to the ground — ultimately leading him to lose the highly anticipated match!
The drama was at an all-time high as YouTube stars Logan Paul, 24, and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji, 26, took each other on in the ultimate boxing match. The pair faced off at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the highly anticipated event on Saturday, Nov. 9 and it didn’t disappoint! After six intense rounds, KSI was named the winner by a narrow two points and while KSI’s fans were ecstatic, Logan Paul stans were not having it!
Logan was docked two points after throwing KSI a double blow — including one to the back of the head — knocking his opponent right down to the ground. KSI had a visibly bleeding gum after the hit, prompting the referee to get jump in. “You hit him when he was down! You can’t do that s–t!” the ref could be heard yelling at Logan, as he called a 5-minute break for KSI to rest. “Take away 2 points for punching when he was down,” the ref then added. Logan looked low energy in the earlier rounds against KSI, but fans theorized that Logan’s strategy was perhaps to tire KSI out.
After the match, Logan expressed that he the final numbers weren’t “fair” — believing he should have won, sans the two point deduction. Logan fans agreed on Twitter, writing “Logan won without a doubt. literally the 2 punches he threw after ksi being knocked down he didn’t throw logan would have won. was literally 2 points off on the last score card.” Another tweeted, “Without the 2-point deduction Logan Paul wins the fight.”
Logan kept it classy after the match, though, and showed the ultimate sportsmanship. “You had my respect before this match,” he said to KSI on-camera. “You are one of the toughest people I know, and I wish you the best.” Logan also confirmed he will absolutely be back for another boxing round in the future — and KSI suggested that he should take on retired wrestler CM Punk! Perhaps Logan will finally get Kendall Jenner‘s attention?
“Last time I was scared,” KSI said in an interview after the round, referring to the pairs 2018 match. “I was scared to fight. I was scared to close to him. This time I went in and just kept going…I am victorious!” KSI fans weren’t thrilled that he announced he wouldn’t be pursuing boxing further. “[Boxing] is done for me, it is done — I’m onto the next thing ya’ll!” he added.
The event, dubbed the internet event of the century, had a star-studded audience including Justin Bieber, 25, who was there to support Logan in the third row and hugged him after the match! The “Sorry” singer could be seen excitedly jumping up and clapping several times as he wore a bright yellow hoodie and headband by his own line Drewhouse. Legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer emceed the event, and rapper Rick Ross got things going with a high-energy performance. YouTuber Austin McBroom and rapper Wiz Khalifa could also be seen in the audience!
Logan and KSI have gone head-to-head before in a headline-making London match back in 2018. Round 1 was a massive success as it was attended by 21,000 at Manchester Arena, and watched by over 800,000 people! KSI narrowly edged out Logan, as two judges scored the match it 57–57 and a third scored 58–57 — in favor of KSI.
“We’ve been on simmer all day, but right now, I feel great,” Logan told streaming platform KAZN in his dressing room minutes before they stepped out at Staples Center. “It’s going to be crazy, thank you guys for coming out — tonight will mark the end of the wildest journey of my life and I want to thank you.” He also had a message for the haters: “Give us a shot, but if you don’t like what you see — but if you don’t like what you see, we’ve put in too much work for this not to be the greatest show of 2019. We’re prepared for everything.”
The second match did some some differences from the first: the two men opted for a smaller glove size and to go sans headgear. The pair fought with 12 ounce gloves in London — which have more padding — but used 10 ounce gloves for Saturday’s fight. The lighter gloves mean there’s more impact in each punch. They also opted for less rounds, reducing the number from 12 to six.