Why Celebrity Boxing is Here to Stay

There was a time when everyone knew who the heavyweight champion of the world was. You didn’t necessarily even have to be a fan of the sport – it was just known like you knew who the President was. Now, with so many different sanctioning bodies, those with just a passing interest can become confused at the current state of play.

 An area of boxing that has exploited the modern era has been one populated by celebrities and social media influencers. From novelty bouts at the beginning of the 2000s, we are now regularly subjected to these kinds of fights attracting millions of pay-per-view fans, and generating ever-growing profits. It feels as if celebrity boxing is here to stay.

 These bouts are reported on in the same manner as the “real” title fights by mainstream media and have markets dedicated to them online, such as on the Bodog sports betting site. They may be derided by boxing purists as devaluing the sport but these are not scripted events as in wrestling. They are real bouts – however poor quality they may be.

Looking at the Longevity of Celebrity Boxing

Recent High-Profile Celebrity Boxing and Crossover Fights

One of the most recent high-profile celebrity boxing events featured Jake Paul and the legendary Mike Tyson. The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world was 58 by the time he climbed into the ring and ultimately lost by unanimous decision to the former YouTube prankster who now seems to consider his primary job to be a boxer.

The Biggest Fights Including Social Media Influencers

1. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson (2024)
Viewership: 108 million global viewers on Netflix, making it the most streamed global sporting event in history.

Details: The fight peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, with 38 million from the United States. During the event, 56% of all U.S. television viewership was tuned in.

2. KSI vs. Logan Paul II (2019)
Viewership: Estimated around 2 million PPV buys; widely regarded as the biggest influencer boxing match on traditional platforms.

Details: This rematch between two of YouTube’s biggest stars was a cultural milestone, proving the commercial viability of influencer boxing.

3. KSI vs. Logan Paul I (2018)
Viewership: Over 773,000 paid viewers on YouTube, with estimates suggesting many more watched via pirated streams. Over 15,000 tickets were sold for the live event.

Details: The fight ended in a draw, setting up the highly anticipated rematch and establishing the influencer boxing trend.

4. Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury (2023)
Viewership: Exact numbers are not publicly confirmed, but the fight drew a significant global audience via pay-per-view and social media, thanks to both fighters’ massive online followings.

Details: This fight was heavily promoted across platforms and recognized by the World Boxing Council for its impact on the sport’s popularity among new audiences.

5. Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva (2022)
Viewership: Not officially disclosed, but the bout was a major draw in the influencer boxing scene due to Silva’s MMA legacy and Paul’s YouTube fame.

Why Celebrity and Social Influencer Fights Sell Big

It might be argued that former greats have always ill-advisedly returned to the ring to recapture faded glories and earn the money to pay the bills. But the difference is that it used to be the case that they were still fighting in actual bouts against actual fighters. Now the celebrity angle is front and center – and it works as an attraction to an entirely different type of fan.

Traditional boxing fans may have had their interest piqued by the news of legendary fighter like Tyson coming out of retirement. Truthfully, though, they are more likely to view the event as a sideshow, something that isn’t really boxing. The paying audience is more likely to be made up of fans of the celebrities and influencers themselves, rather than of the sport. It has to be questioned whether they would stick around for boxing if the social media stars left for other ventures. Boxing authorities and those interested in attracting more viewers to events would say that wasn’t the case but a deep love of the sport is not something that is fostered by such bouts.

The overwhelming reason why these kinds of celebrity fights will endure – at least for the immediate future – is money, of course. Jake Paul will have earned more money during his short celebrity fight career than many true champions have over the last few decades. These types of events have proved remarkably popular, even as they threaten to denigrate boxing as a whole.

In the modern social media-focused world, celebrities will draw crowds. The largely fake built-in dramas and beefs between fighters make for interest points and boost the anticipation and excitement surrounding the bouts. The fact that the boxers themselves are usually woefully undertrained and possess only the most rudimentary skills does not matter to the streaming services selling the pay-per-view tickets and the promoters counting the dollars the fights bring in.

If these celebrity fights did actually attract a younger audience to the sport, as the people behind the events proclaim, it could be argued that they are good for boxing. But it seems as though this kind of boxing exists in its own universe. There is a crossover, of course, with former boxers coming back to be involved and other boxers fighting professionals from other combat styles. But it is questionable whether there is any advantage to the sport of boxing in itself. The positives all seem to be for those involved and making money from the ventures.

It could be that this fashion for celebrity and influencer boxing will wane, as all online trends tend to after time. However, for now, the biggest social media personalities enjoy the same level of fandom as top sports athletes. With popularity judged on the number of likes and followers on an Instagram account, these are the kind of global superstars that break down barriers that most boxers will be unable to. These followers will be interested in anything that the celebrity does, even if that involves boxing. While the bouts are popular because of the people involved, they will continue to sell countless pay-per-view tickets.

For “true” boxing fans, seeing legends like Mike Tyson come out of retirement to be involved in such events is disheartening. When a former favorite normalizes these kinds of fights, it only perpetuates the belief that this is just another type of boxing event and lays the groundwork for more of the same. Boxing can be a cruel business and the need to make money can quite often outlast a fighter’s ability to compete at the top level. It is understandable why fighters like Tyson would feel the need to become part of the phenomena – but it doesn’t make it any more pleasurable to witness.

Conclusion

The bottom line – as with many other forms of entertainment – is money. As long as these celebrity bouts generate huge amounts of cash, they will remain part of the boxing world. That might not be something most fans want to hear, but it is simply an economic fact.