Boxing is a sport that dates back centuries and it has always been considered a gentleman’s sport because it’s based on respect and honor.

Boxers have always had to fight their way up the ranks to earn a shot at a championship fight. Not ever was there an easy shortcut.

However, over recent years, with the attention and the audience influencers bring, they seem to more beneficial for the promoters. So much so, boxing is starting to lose all credibility and we are starting to see some ridiculous mismatches going on.

We’ve recently seen Tommy Fury go down the path of fighting Youtubers, who has just pulled-out of a fight with MMA fighter, Darren Till. Tommy’s dad, John Fury is now calling out to fight Logan Paul, and there is a 30 years age gap between them.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson fought Jake Paul, which many to believe to be fixed. And now we have everyone calling out Jake Paul, with even heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois suggesting fighting him.

We are also seeing crossover fights like UFC fighter Francis Ngannou taking on Anthony Joshua and Ngannou is now in talks with exchanging hands with kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.

So Why Is Influencer Boxing More Popular Than Traditional Boxing?

The reason influencer boxing is becoming so popular is because of the amount of following the influencer’s have. This means they have the ability to sell more PPV’s to potentially a world champion.

If you look at the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight, Paul suggested the fight had over 120 million Netflix streams, making it the most-streamed sporting event ever.

It become so huge for many reasons. Both Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have a huge fanbase that they love to see them fight. Paul also has many doubters and haters, that they pay just to see him lose. Also, Mike Tyson was also known for being a phenomenal puncher, fans want to see if he still has the moves and power.

However, as much as this was a big success for everyone involved, it done nothing for boxing.

So, Why Do Influencer Boxing Fights Happen?

Let’s face it, it all comes down to money, and as with any athlete, they want to make as much money as they possibly can, especially as their careers can be relatively short. But boxing should be more about the success of their careers.

Also, boxing is unlike many other sports that it doesn’t have a single governing body controlling the sport. Promotions like One Championship, UFC and Glory have a league, where fighters have to be of a certain level to enter in their organisation.

READ MORE: Who arranges boxing fights?

What are crossover fights?

A crossover fight is when two fighters are from different disciplines and they fight in there not usual style of fighting. For instance, a kickboxer fights an MMA fighter in a boxing match.

Crossover fights gain a lot of interest as the fans are keen to see how the fighter will do in a different style.

Here are some previous crossover fights:

• Conor McGregor (MMA) vs Floyd Mayweather (Boxing) – Boxing Fight
• Francis Ngannou (MMA) vs Anthony Joshua (Boxing) – Boxing fight
• Darren Till (MMA) vs Tommy Fury (Boxing) – Boxing fight cancelled
• Rico Verhoeven (Kickboxing) vs Francis Ngannou (MMA) – In talks of a boxing fight

Conclusion

Influencer boxing seems to be getting more and more popular and we wouldn’t expect it to stop anytime soon, especially as we have Misfits boxing who focus on influencer fights.

However, it is not all bad, as it brings in more viewers which is good to promote the sport. It also gets it discussed more on social media.

READ MORE: What is Misfits Boxing?