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In the KSI-Logan Paul Fight, Boxing Won — But YouTube Won Bigger

The world of boxing got more from this weekend than YouTube did — though this was online entertainment’s coming out party

Chris Stokel-Walker
FFWD
6 min readNov 10, 2019

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Image: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

Drive eight miles north of the STAPLES Center, along Los Angeles’ famous 101 highway, and you come across the Hollywood sign looming large over the City of Angels.

The boxing match between KSI and Logan Paul had months of build — and fight week had enough twists, turns and public appearances to sit comfortably in any box office smash — and on the night, they delivered the ideal final act.

The fans in attendance at STAPLES Center lapped up every jab and hook, and saw a fascinating night of fights. But while the arena was very full, at times the gap between the worlds of boxing and YouTube felt more like a gaping chasm.

In the same way that the slate of movies coming out of the production studios in Hollywood are reworking and remaking old classics, so it happened here. The difference was this was no dodgy sequel.

The same week as Paul and KSI fought their battle to a non-sell-out at the STAPLES Center, Disney-owned ABC broadcast the first episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, an attempt to make language bend to the…

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Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker

Written by Chris Stokel-Walker

UK-based freelancer for The Guardian, The Economist, BuzzFeed News, the BBC and more. Tell me your story, or get me to write for you: stokel@gmail.com

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