‘Me and Jake are bigger in terms of notoriety. This is just facts.’
KSI has claimed if he fought Jake Paul it would be a bigger event worldwide than a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
In recent years, KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, has been at the forefront of the YouTuber boxing revolution, with his fights involving YouTubers now generating huge global interest.
Just this month, hundreds of millions tuned in across the globe to watch Jake Paul take on Mike Tyson in a bout in Texas.
And KSI reckons a fight between himself and Paul would now generate more global interest than if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally got in the ring together.
When asked which he thought was the bigger fight, the 31-year-old told JOE: “That’s a hard one. I’d say worldwide, me versus Jake, and I’d say UK, AJ vs Tyson. Me and Jake are bigger in terms of notoriety. This is just facts.”
KSI explained that the variety of different avenues he’s taken in his career, such as his music and TV ventures, along with his YouTube reach meant that “of course he’s going to be bigger” than boxers who only focus on the sport.
He said: “AJ doesn’t do music, Tyson doesn’t do music. I also do boxing, YouTube, Sidemen, I’m on Netflix, Amazon Prime. I’ve been in so many different outlets, so many different avenues.
“Of course I’m going to be bigger than AJ and Fury, all they do is boxing. Granted they’re very good at it, but I feel like the hype for them is all in the UK, maybe a few in the US.
“But for me and Jake, it’s worldwide.”
KSI hasn’t fought since a close defeat against Tommy Fury in October 2023, and holds a 4-1 record in his boxing career.
Meanwhile, following his drab win over ‘Iron Mike’, Paul has an 11-1 record, with ‘The Problem Child’s’ only defeat also coming at the hands of Fury.
A bout between KSI and Paul is top of many fans’ wish lists, with there being bad blood between the pair ever since the Brit beat Paul’s older brother Logan in 2019.
When asked if a clash with Paul will be his next fight, KSI told JOE it wasn’t up to him, saying the decision was down to Paul’s manager and promoter Nakisa Bidarian.
He said: “It’s not up to me, man, it’s not up to me. It’s up to Nakisa, talk to Nakisa.”
Asked if he was confident he would beat Paul, KSI said: “I’m confident I win every fight, and I feel like I have won every single fight I’ve been in.”
