KSI vs Fury Could Break ‘Crossover’ Boxing PPV Records

Byboxingtimmy
KSI Fury

Whether boxing purists like it or not, it seems as though ‘crossover’ bouts involving celebrities and social media personalities is here to stay.

These fights certainly put bums on seats – particularly on the sofa, with the contest between influencer KSI and Tommy Fury expected to break PPV records for this type of contest.

The bout will headline a card that also features a grudge scrap between Logan Paul and MMA fighter Dillon Danis, with ticket sales at the AO Arena in Manchester indicative of the demand for these celebrity bouts.

Sell Out

Fury was born in Manchester and has familial connections in the area, so perhaps it’s no surprise that all 21,000 seats will be taken on fight night this Saturday.

According to the KSI vs Tommy Fury odds from Paddy Power, they should be able to cheer their man on to glory too, with the cousin of heavyweight champ Tyson a comfortable 2/7 favourite with KSI the underdog at 11/4.

The boxing betting odds also expect a KO or TKO victory for the cruiserweight, with punters backing the ‘no’ side of the market for ‘will the fight go the distance’ into 8/11.

That’s a vote of confidence for Fury, who will look to leverage his professional experience in the ring – he went 8-0 before making his crossover debut against Jake Paul, who he defeated via split decision back in February.

The likes of Tony Bellew have come out and backed Fury to win, with his boxing pedigree – and the backing of one of the most famous fighting families on the planet – enough to hand him the edge.

With 21,000 fans at ringside and one million expected to watch via DAZN pay-per-view, neither fighter will be short of support.

Every Dog Has Its Day

Bellew has described KSI as a ‘live underdog’ in the bout, with the YouTuber showing enough in-ring skill to suggest he can trouble Fury despite the pessimism of the odds-makers.

Although fighting other influencers in the main, KSI – or Olajide Olatunji to give his birth name – has won all four of his completed bouts, with three of those victories coming by way of KO.

His toughest bout came last time out against Joe Fournier, who was unbeaten in nine fights as an amateur and who went eight rounds – albeit in an exhibition – against David Haye. The scrap was arguably shaping up to be the closest of KSI’s career before he put Fournier down in the second round; it was subsequently ruled that the knockout blow was an accidental elbow strike, with the bout adjudged to be a no-contest.

Social media footage of KSI hitting the bags has been met with criticism online, with observers questioning his punch power and Darren Till, the former MMA star, taking to X (Twitter) to write off the influencer’s chances.

The cards on which KSI’s five fights have taken place so far have generated a combined £26.4 million in revenue, so while his boxing ability might be questionable, his business acumen is clearly anything but.

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