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YouTube pound-for-pound boxing rankings: Does Jake Paul or KSI … – Sporting News
Despite the pushback by hardcore fans, YouTubers and other celebrities in boxing are here to stay.
Due to the unique nature of the fights, influencers have helped bring more eyes to boxing than ever before. The numbers never lie and the steady stream of sold-out shows and massive streaming statistics prove this is far more than a fad. Of course, that influx stirs up the raging and polarizing debate regarding the likes of Jake Paul, KSI, and many others.
Another touchy topic: pound-for-pound rankings.
For as long as they’ve existed, nobody can seem to agree and 2023 is no different. Is Terence Crawford or Canelo Alvarez the best in the world? What about Naoya Inoue or Oleksandr Usyk? Given nobody can agree about the official belt holders, it stands to make sense that figuring out who reigns supreme among the YouTubers-turned-boxers is a near-impossible challenge.
Challenge accepted.
MORE: The Sporting News: Boxing top 12 pound-for-pound list
The Sporting News presents its YouTube boxing rankings, where we rank the top influencers in boxing. We polled our global team of boxing writers and editors, traded notes, and exchanged angry Slacks and DMs until we settled on our final 10.
The criteria for the list was based on the following:
What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Follow the conversation via @SN_fights on Twitter and Instagram and let us know!
Why they are on the list:
Faze Sensei barely cracks the top ten, but it is not without a lack of trying or controversy.
Sensei started his career with a TKO win over Overtflow. In August, he lost to King Kenny but via a controversial majority decision scoring. Sensei is on the list due to the potential he brings to the sport. The idea that a rematch with Kenny could be on the horizon is also enticing.
He has over 813K subscribers on YouTube, 94.5K followers on Twitter, and 364K followers on Instagram.
Sensei will need a big win (either in a rematch or in his next bout) to stay on this list.
Why they are on the list:
Jay Swingler ranks right on the border of this list following his big knockout win over Cherdleys in October. It was his first fight (and his first as a pro) since 2018 when AnEsonGib beat him via unanimous decision.
Swingler has over 1.77 million YouTube subscribers, 837.4K followers on Twitter, and 1.3 million followers on Instagram.
Swingler returns to the ring against Nichlmao on March 4. While he will need more wins under his belt, his dramatic knockout win impressed The Sporting News enough to have him on this list.
MORE: Boxing’s 30 most desired fights in 2023
Why they are on the list:
KSI’s brother may have started his career on a losing skid, but he ended that with a bang, literally and figuratively. As a result, his stock rose enough for him to compete in one of the biggest fights of his career.
Deji was Jake Paul’s first opponent in 2018. Losing via TKO, Deji would return to the boxing scene in 2021. He lost two in a row against Vinnie Hacker and Alex Wassabi, but wouldn’t give up. On the undercard of a KSI event in August, Deji knocked out Fousey in the third round. Fans were ecstatic that he won first pro fight.
Deji would win the jackpot after, as he fought Floyd Mayweather in November. While he lost, he’ll never forget giving Mayweather a black eye.
On the media side, Deji has over 10.7 million YouTube subscribers, 2.4 million Twitter followers, 3.1 million Instagram followers, and 1.2 million Facebook followers.
Why they are on the list:
In 2022, King Kenny took on two Faze’s. He would lose to Faze Temper in an amateur bout via unanimous decision. In August, King beat Faze Sensei via majority decision. The Sensei contest was deemed controversial.
In his last fight, Kenny beat DK Money via knockout.
MORE: Jake Paul net worth: Purse history, career earnings for YouTube boxing star
King Kenny has over 2.08 YouTube subscribers, 302K Instagram followers, and 81.7K followers on Twitter.
Kenny’s drawing power could make him a big name in boxing as time goes on.
Why they are on the list:
Yes, Logan Paul has not won a fight he has competed in. And yet in a ranking of influencers, that doesn’t entirely diminish his impact.
The brother of Jake Paul helped make the influencer boxing movement popular by facing KSI in an amateur bout. Taking over the Manchester Arena, the two fought to a draw. Eddie Hearn, initially dismissive of YouTuber boxing, eventually saw potential in the idea. Inside a sold-out Staples Center, KSI and Paul fought in a rematch, this time as pros. KSI beat Paul via split decision, but his stock rose due to the impact of the event, and the idea of YouTubers boxing blew up to what it is today.
While his brother has had a successful pro career, Logan can take credit for the fact that he went the distance with boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather when they fought in a non-scored affair in Miami.
MORE: Why did Logan Paul spend $3.5 million on fake Pokemon cards?
One of the original YouTube influencers on this list, Paul has over 23.6 million subscribers on his YouTube page. He also hosts a podcast called IMPAULSIVE that has over 4.32 million subscribers on YouTube. Paul has 6.6 million followers on Twitter, 24.2 million followers on Instagram, and 16 million followers on Facebook.
Some expect Paul to be lower on the list. Paul is injured but is rumored to return to action sometime in 2023. If he can get his first win, whoever his opponent may be, the current WWE star’s placement may end up being justified.
Why they are on the list:
His most recent performance, a comeback knockout win against Austin McBroom, elevated AnEsonGib in the rankings. However, his inactivity has dropped him down a few spots.
The “Seven Figure Gibber” won his first two amateur bouts against MaxPlays and Jay Swingler before getting knocked out by Jake Paul in 2020. A pro bout, this was the start of the rise of Paul. Gib wasn’t done. At the first Social Gloves event in 2021, AnEsonGib beat Tayler Holder. Initially a draw, the fight was overturned, and AnEsonGib ended up getting the win.
Blaming McBroom for the draw, AnEsonGib got a chance to fight him at the next Social Gloves event. While the bout was delayed due to medical issues on the side of AnEsonGib, when the two finally faced off, AnEsonGib came back from multiple knockdowns and took out McBroom.
AnEsonGib has over 982.K Instagram followers, 938K followers on Twitter, and 2.31 million subscribers on YouTube.
Why they are on the list:
With five wins via knockout, The Sporting News cannot deny Slim Albaher’s place as one of the top YouTubers in boxing. He started his career beating Fousey, N&A, and 3bidaan. It wasn’t until he faced FaZe Temperrr in August that he got some respect. With Blueface taken out of the fight against Temper, Slim was right there to take advantage. He knocked out Temperrr in the second round in his first pro bout.
Slim followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Ryan Taylor in October. In his last fight this past January, Slim continued his impressive run with a unanimous decision win over Tom Zanetti.
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Slim has over 641K subscribers on his YouTube page, 138.1K followers on Twitter, and 326K followers on Instagram.
Creeping up the rankings, Slim is someone to keep an eye on.
Why they are on the list:
One of the things Salt Papi has been known for is his charisma. That has been put into overdrive since he joined the boxing scene. The southpaw from the U.K. beat Halal Ham in March via unanimous decision. A few months later, he gifted fans with one of the greatest knockouts in influencer boxing history.
In August, Salt Papi faced Andy Warski on the undercard of KSI’s boxing event. He didn’t disappoint, as it took 29 seconds for him to take Warski out. Papi followed that up with a knockout win against Josh Brueckner in January.
He has over 257K subscribers on YouTube, 391K followers on Instagram, and 23.5K followers on Twitter.
Salt Papi’s colorful personality and impressive skills sees him sliding into the top three of the YouTube boxing rankings.
MORE: What does KSI stand for and how did he get famous?
Why they are on the list:
KSI’s fight against Joe Weller inside a sold-out Copper Box Arena was a starting point for YouTube boxing. It was an amateur bout against Logan Paul which swayed Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn into making their rematch a pro bout. Main evening the Staples Center in 2019, the influencer boxing revolution took off following that bout.
While he didn’t fight for two years after, KSI’s name still loomed large in boxing. It all came together with the MF & DAZN: X Series, a collaboration with Misfits Boxing and DAZN. The first event was KSI vs. rapper Swarmz and boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda. KSI beat them both via knockout. That took place in a sold-out O2 Arena, an accomplishment in its own right. While FaZe Temperrr was a replacement fighter in his next fight, KSI still looked impressive, knocking him out in the first round.
Thanks to boxing, YouTube, and music, KSI has one of the top social media followings in the world. KSI has over 40 million YouTube subscribers, which is a combination of his regular and music page. He also has 8.2 million followers on Twitter, 12.2 million followers on Instagram, 5.2 million followers on Facebook, and 9.6 million followers on TikTok.
With a potential fight with Jake Paul on the table, KSI is ready to take, by force, the status as the king of YouTube boxing.
MORE: Ranking Jake Paul’s best fights
Why they are on the list:
You could not rank YouTube boxers without one of the most successful influencers out there.
Jake Paul may not have fought in the early part of 2022 heading into his October 29 bout against Anderson Silva, but that should not discredit his reasons for being on the list. Paul has knocked out Deji and AnEsonGib, two YouTubers on this list. He has also taken out former NBA star Nate Robinson, former Bellator champion Ben Askren, and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley twice.
During this time, he has helped bring a new audience to boxing thanks to a deal with Showtime and Most Valuable Promotions. As a promoter, Paul has also helped increase Amanda Serrano’s profile, resulting in the 2022 Fight of the Year against Katie Taylor.
“The Problem Child” was supposed to fight Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr., two actual boxers, at one point in 2022. Both fights were nixed due to visa (Fury) or weight issues (Rahman). Instead, Paul fought one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time in Anderson Silva. Paul won via unanimous decision, and even knocked down Silva during the bout.
MORE: Tattoos and cash-stuffed gold briefcases: Inside Jake Paul’s KO guarantee
Paul finally gets his hands on Fury on February 26. A win against an accomplished boxer would secure his hold over the top of the list. After that, KSI could be next.
Due to his creative social media posts, Jake Paul’s following (whether they are fans or not) has dramatically increased over time. His YouTube page has over 20 million subscribers. He also has 5.7 million Facebook followers, 4.5 million Twitter followers, over 21 million Instagram followers, and 16.6 million TikTok followers.
Will Jake Paul be considered one of the best influencers-turned-boxers when all is said and done? Or will someone step up and dethrone him?
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In the ever-shifting MMA landscape, ranking the world’s greatest fighters might seem like a fool’s errand, but that’s exactly we’ve set out to do with the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. Here, our esteemed panel sorts out the movers and shakers from every division to provide you with the most definitive list of the best fighters on the planet.
Let’s take a look at the biggest rankings storylines from this past two-month cycle (Aug. 21 – Oct. 24).
(Ed. Note: These rankings are updated as of Nov. 20, 2023.)
Here’s what I wrote about the then-unranked Khamzat Chimaev back in August:
Fear not, Khamzat fans, should he get past Paulo Costa at UFC 294 as expected, you’ll see him snatch a cherry spot in the middleweight rankings. Until then, everyone’s favorite wrecking machine remains in limbo.
Suffice to say, things did not go quite as expected.
The good news is that Chimaev did end up fighting at UFC 294, and in an actual established weight class. The bad news is that it wasn’t against an established middleweight, but rather former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepping in on 10 days’ notice.
Chimaev ultimately beat Usman in a fight where he was dominant for the first five minutes and then shaky for the next 10. The result was a majority decision where one judge scored the fight a 28-28 draw, a fair score given that Chimaev had a difficult time mustering up any meaningful offense against Usman in Rounds 2 and 3. If anything, it looked as though Usman was the one building up steam as the bout came to a close, and he later lamented the lack of championship rounds, something he’d understandably grown accustomed to.
Still, a win is a win, and though our panel wasn’t quite ready to rocket him up the charts (one panelist even left him off their ballot completely), Chimaev slots in at No. 10 in his first appearance on our middleweight rankings. This may turn out to be a case of “ranking, shmankings” anyway, because UFC CEO Dana White said in the lead-up that the winner of UFC 294’s co-main event was expected to challenge champion Sean Strickland.
White wasn’t quite as emphatic when asked about that status after the fight, but regardless, Chimaev is well on his way to finally getting the chance to “smesh” someone for a belt.
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It was a fun rivalry while it lasted, wasn’t it?
In an ideal world, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski’s second meeting would have occurred a little later in their careers, with Makhachev racking up a couple of title defenses against actual lightweights first and Volkanovski continuing his incredible championship run at featherweight. But there’s something neat about these two settling the score in a single calendar year, even if it happened under less-than-ideal circumstances and even if it resulted in Makhachev delivering a brutal head-kick knockout to win the series.
Could Volkanovski have performed better with a full camp? Undoubtedly. Does the best version of Volkanovski beat Makhachev in their rematch? That, we don’t know, but the reality is they’ve met twice in the octagon and twice Makhachev has been the better man. Accept this and move on, is my advice.
That’s what’s best for the lightweight division, with Makhachev hopefully sticking around at 155 pounds to defend against Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje or maybe even past opponent Arman Tsarukyan somewhere down the line. Makhachev has also spoken about moving up to welterweight in the event that Colby Covington takes that title from Leon Edwards, which would undoubtedly intrigue the matchmakers (even if might make a few fans’ eyes roll).
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There was a time when light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight were marquee divisions. I swear this was a thing.
While there may be no hope for women’s 135 (Julianna Peña vs. Raquel Pennington for the vacant title when?), 205 has been sooooo close to being great again. However, injuries to stars Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill led to a calamitous series of events that have left the light heavyweight title in limbo, and though it should find a home soon when Prochazka fights Alex Pereira for a vacant strap at UFC 295 next month, would anyone be shocked if more craziness ensued?
That was certainly the case this past Saturday when Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker met in a pivotal bout that was sure to crown the next challenger for the aforementioned title, but it just couldn’t be that easy. No, the fighters had to deal with a restless ringside physician who was compelled to interject himself into not one, but two fights in Abu Dhabi. In Walker’s case, he saw his night end unceremoniously when the doctor ruled that he was unable to continue after taking an illegal knee from Ankalaev despite Walker’s protests.
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Blame the doctor all you want, but it just feels like this division has been cursed since Prochazka vacated the title last November after suffering a shoulder injury. We’re all praying that his fight with Pereira has a conclusive result, but at this point I’m expecting them to land simultaneous spinning head kicks and both to end up flat on the canvas.
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Check out the complete October rankings update below.
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 3 Ciryl Gane def. No. 10 Serghei Spivac, No. 8 Alexander Volkov def. No. 7 Tai Tuivasa
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (UFC 295, Nov. 11), No. 6 Jailton Almeida vs. No. 14 Derrick Lewis (UFC Sao Paulo, Nov. 4)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Phil De Fries (5), Alexandr Romanov (2)
(Heavyweight rankings updated Nov. 12 after UFC 295.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 3 Magomed Anklaev vs. No. 9 Johnny Walker ends in no-contest, No. 12 Anthony Smith def. No. 13 Ryan Spann, No. 15 Volkan Oezdemir def. Bogdan Guskov
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Jiri Prochazka vs. No. 5 Alex Pereira (UFC 295, Nov. 11)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Rob Wilkinson (2), Azamat Murzakanov (1), Khalil Rountree (1), Thiago Santos (1)
(Light heavyweight rankings updated Nov. 12 after UFC 295.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 9 Sean Strickland def. No. 1 Israel Adesanya, No. 5 Johnny Eblen def. No. 14 Fabian Edwards, Khamzat Chimaev def. No. 2 WW Kamaru Usman
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 11 Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Paul Craig (3), Nassourdine Imavov (3), Ikram Aliskerov (1), Kelvin Gastelum (1), Jack Hermansson (1), Bo Nickal (1), Kamaru Usman (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Khamzat Chimaev def. No. 2 Kamaru Usman (middleweight bout), No. 13 Jack Della Maddalena def. No. 15 (tied) Kevin Holland
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 4 Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. No. 7 Stephen Thompson (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 5 (tied) Yaroslav Amosov vs. No. 15 Jason Jackson (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 8 Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 10 Vicente Luque vs. No. 11 Ian Machado Garry (UFC 296, Dec. 16)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Sadibou Sy (4), Andrey Koreshkov (1), Neil Magny (1), Magomed Magomedkerimov (1), Michael Page (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Islam Makhachev def. No. 1 FW Alexander Volkanovski, No. 6 Usman Nurmagomedov def. Brent Primus, No. 8 Mateusz Gamrot def. No. 7 Rafael Fiziev, Bobby Green def. No. 11 Grant Dawson
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 12 Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard (PFL 10: 2023 Championships, Nov. 24), No. 13 (tied) A.J. McKee vs. Sidney Outlaw (Bellator 301, Nov. 24)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Benoit Saint-Denis (4), Grant Dawson (3), Renato Moicano (3), Drew Dober (2), Matt Frevola (2), Alexander Shabliy (2)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Islam Makhachev def. No. 1 Alexander Volkanovski (lightweight bout), No. 2 Max Holloway def. No. 11 (tied) “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung 26), No. 11 (tied) Giga Chikadze def. Alex Caceres, No. 13 Bryce Mitchell def. No. 15 Dan Ige
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 8 Josh Emmett vs. No. 11 Giga Chikdaze (UFC 296, Dec. 16)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Edson Barboza (3), Lerone Murphy (2), Adam Borics (1), Jonathan Pearce (1), Chihiro Suzuki (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): N/A
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 5 Patchy Mix vs. No. 6 Sergio Pettis (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 10 Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 13 Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello (Bellator 301, Nov. 17)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Pedro Munhoz (3), Magomed Magomedov (2), Ricky Simon (2), Juan Archuleta (1), Chris Gutierrez (1)
(Bantamweight rankings updated Nov. 18 after Bellator 301.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 11 Manel Kape def. Felipe dos Santos, No. 13 Muhammad Mokaev def. No. 14 (tied) Tim Elliott
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 2 Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 8 Brandon Royval (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 4 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font vs. (bantamweight bout) (UFC Austin, Dec. 2)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Azamat Kerefov (3), Kairat Akhmetov (2), Azat Maksum (1), Jeff Molina (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Nora Cornolle def. No. 15 Joselyne Edwards
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 6 Irene Aldana vs. No. 7 Karol Rosa (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 11 Miesha Tate vs. Julia Avila (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 13 (tied) Lucie Pudilova vs. Ailin Perez (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Tainara Lisboa (5), Serena DeJesus (1), Claire Guthrie (1), Olga Rubin (1), Taneisha Tennant (1), Darya Zheleznyakova (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Alexa Grasso vs. No. 2 Valentina Shevchenko ends in a split draw, No. 3 Erin Blanchfield def. No. 4 Taila Santos, No. 5 Manon Fiorot def. No. 5 SW Rose Namajunas, No. 6 Liz Carmouche def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, No. 14 Viviane Araujo def. No. 10 Jennifer Maia
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 12 Juliana Velasquez vs. Paula Cristina (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 13 (tied) Amanda Ribas vs. Luana Pinheiro (strawweight bout) (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Casey O’Neill (6), Karine Silva (2)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): 5 WFLW Manon Fiorot def. No. 5 Rose Namajunas (flyweight bout), No. 10 Marina Rodriguez def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez, No. 15 (tied) Loopy Godinez def. Elise Reed, No. 15 (tied) Xiong Jing Nan def. Nat Jaroonsak (special rules striking match)
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 5 Jessica Andrade vs. No. 9 Mackenzie Dern (UFC 295, Nov. 11), No. 12 Angela Hill vs. Denise Gomes (UFC Sao Paulo, Nov. 4), No. 13 Tabatha Ricci vs. No. 14 Loopy Godinez (UFC 295, Nov. 11), Amanda Ribas vs. No. 15 Luana Pinheiro (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Karolina Kowalkiewicz (3), Emily Ducote (2), Xiong Jingnan (2), Gillian Robertson (2), Michelle Waterson-Gomez (2)
A refresher on the ground rules:
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.
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