YouTube, rapping and boxing… KSI has just about done it all. He has made a grand return to the ring as he pursues a fight against bitter foe Jake Paul.

One of the strings to KSI's wide ranging bow is that he is a professional boxer and along with Wasserman Boxing's Kalle and Nisse Sauerland, he is one of the founders of Misfits Boxing.

KSI (Olajide Olatunji, or JJ) has been a YouTuber since he was a teenager and he has amassed over 20 million subscribers on his personal channel. He is a member of the Sidemen and their channel has 17.5 million subscribers.

The 29-year-old has also made an impact in the music world and his second album reached number one in the official UK charts.

He is one of the main figures who kickstarted the YouTube boxing scene and he beat Joe Weller and drew with Logan Paul as an amateur.

After four victories and one no contest in professional boxing, KSI lost his unbeaten record to Tommy Fury in October 2023.

KSI's early boxing career

KSI had a rematch with Logan Paul in November 2019 and this proved to be a huge event which was promoted by Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn and broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office.

The Brit was the aggressor over six rounds in the rematch and he overcame a couple of illegal punches from Paul to win via split decision. Two judges had it 57-54 and 56-55 to KSI, while the other scored the bout 56-55 to his opponent.

Hearn claimed in the aftermath that the event did two million PPV buys worldwide and both fighters had a $900,000 purse.

KSI had over two and a half years out of the ring before he was in the main draw of Misfits Boxing's first event on August 27, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London.

He fought two men in one night. He faced British rapper Swarmz and pro boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda.

Neither proved to be tough adversaries and KSI was able to win with relative ease as he picked up two stoppage victories.

KSI knocked out influencer FaZe Temperr, who had stepped in as a late subsitute for Dillon Danis, with a convincing first-round knockout in early January 2023.

KSI's rivalry with Jake Paul

KSI returned to boxing with the sole aim of fighting Jake Paul. The pair were expected to meet back in 2018 but JJ instead faced his brother, Logan.

Jake appeared on the undercard against Deji and he has since established himself as the best of the YouTube boxers.

He has progressed significantly while KSI has been away from the sport. He has produced devastating knockouts to defeat ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and respected mixed martial artist Ben Askren.

'The Problem Child' has since beaten UFC legends Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva to add to his ever-growing CV.

Paul lost by split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023, but a clash with KSI is still expected to come later in the year.

While Paul has been troubling former UFC stars, his rivalry with KSI has continued as they regularly butt heads on social media.

The idea of a fight at Wembley has been mentioned with the fighters set to make millions when this feud finally comes to a head.

Joe Fournier fight controversy

In May 2023, KSI produced his best performance to date against Joe Fournier.

The crowd favourite was unable to land heavily on his opponent in the opening round, but Fournier was rocked by a flush overhand right in the second.

KSI smelt blood and went for the finish right away. One final blow was going to be enough to end the contest and it is a shame for him and the event how that came about.

While on the inside, KSI was unable to land a vicious right hook and on the follow through he caught Fournier on the chin with his forearm/elbow.

This was not immediately clear as KSI, his team and the crowd erupted into huge celebrations with Fournier broken on the canvas. But replays showed that the knockout came via an illegal blow.

The controversial outcome should not change the script. Fournier was clinically picked apart by his youthful rival.

Less than a week later, the Professional Boxing Association officially ruled the fight as a no contest after Fournier appealed the decision.

 

KSI's unbeaten professional record came to an end in October 2023 against Tommy Fury.

The former Love Island star claimed a majority decision win in a scrappy cruiserweight headliner at a packed-out AO Arena in Manchester, which extended his professional record to 10-0

With brother Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, at ringside, Fury landed several eye-catching blows but the bout underlined the relative novice status of both combatants with multiple clinches.

Despite being docked a point for repeatedly punching to the back of KSI's head while on the inside, Fury was given the nod 57-56 by two judges with a third scoring the contest 57-57 after six rounds.

KSI, who came into the arena in a green Lamborghini alongside rapper Giggs, might have been the away fighter but his fans roared in support when he landed a solid overhand right early in the first round.

Fury responded with a decent left hook but his habit of landing a few rabbit punches when the fighters were tied up led to him being docked a point in the second after several complaints from KSI, who brought the crowd to life with another winging right hand.

KSI was proving elusive from distance as Fury attempted to establish a jab, but in the clinch the Manchester fighter followed up a couple of blows with a swift left hook, right hand that momentarily seemed to stun his opponent.

Fury was using his left-hand jab to try to set up his best work and another combination drew shouts of encouragement from his fans but by this point the fight had already descended into a scrappy affair.

The pair traded punches while on the inside in the penultimate round but spent much of the round being separated by the referee, after which Fury found a stinging couple of blows to end the fifth.

KSI was still sprightly in the final round and did find Fury with another big right hand but his rival responded in kind, then followed up with a short left.

Fury climbed the ropes, raising a fist at the final bell, and his confidence was rewarded after the judges narrowly sided with him.

 

Who will KSI fight next?

KSI's long-running feud with Jake Paul continues to rumble away in the background, with that fight being YouTube boxing's equivalent to Marvel's Avengers: Endgame.

KSI net worth

KSI's wealth as of the start of 2023 is reportedly $25m.

KSI personal life

KSI's parents (Yinka Olatunji and Jide Olatunji) regularly appeared in his YouTube videos during his first few years on the site but they now only feature sporadically.

His brother - Deji Olatunji - has grown with him and he has over 10 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Deji has also made an impact in boxing. He was stopped by Jake Paul in his amateur debut on the undercard of the first KSI-Logan Paul fight.

He now has a 1-4 record as a professional boxer and he was beaten via TKO by Floyd Mayweather Jr in an exhibition bout in November 2022.