JAKE PAUL has called on stars of KSI’s Misfits Boxing to “respect the sport” and slammed the “circus” fights on show.
KSI, 29, last year launched the promotion to give a home to crossover and celebrity fights with events aired on DAZN.
But the lines between true sports and entertainment have been blurred since Misfists’ rise.
In March, they introduced tag-team boxing to a mixture of fanfare and outrage.
And on this Saturday’s pay-per-view event, two content creators who weigh a combined total of almost 60 STONE are set to fight.
It leaves KSI’s arch rival Paul critical of the direction Misfits is going in and slammed that it is “not a sport”.
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He said: “I think it is definitely on the WWE-side of things.
“And it’s definitely a separate thing than the boxing purists should be interested in. But I do see how it has entertainment value.
“The problem with it is that they call it ‘boxing’ and ‘influencer boxing. It’s just more like this circus spectacle, which is fine but let’s not ruin the sport of boxing.
“Because I think influencer boxing added fans to the sport and brought more respect and credibility when people were taking it very, very seriously and putting on really good fights.
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“Now they’re doing tag-teams and it’s all these different weight classes, they’re only fighting like two or three rounds.
“Like, that’s not a sport, go in there fight six rounds, do a proper f*****g training camp, get f*****g good and respect the sport.
“So, I see how it could bring more fans but I just don’t want it to turn into this like, WWE thing.
“And it’s nothing against the WWE – I love the WWE – but in terms of boxing, it’s just different.”
Paul, 26, similarly owns his own Most Valuable Promotions, and co-hosts his bouts.
He also has champions like Amanda Serrano, 34, and top prospect Ashton Sylve, 19, signed to his banner.
Paul has recently launched his Most Valuable Prospect series, to try and find the next big boxing talent – not personality.
He said: “I just love this sport and I’m surrounded by real fighters all the time.
“Most Valuable Prospects will be real, young, hungry boxers who have been fighting their whole entire life and we want to give them a platform in a professional way.
“I want to find the next Muhammad Ali, the next Mike Tyson, through Most Valuable Prospects. I’m not trying to find the next Salt Papi and all this stuff.
“It’s fun but I’m trying to grow the next generation of talent and boxers and help women’s boxing and sign world champions and get the paydays that they deserve.
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“This WWE, Misfits s*** is kind of a separate side thing that I don’t really care about.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
