With the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva fight on October 29, the community of YouTubers unlocked yet another achievement in the sport. While some appreciated the influencers for the exposure they brought to the sport, others greatly rebuked the involvement of influencers and YouTube. Boxing legend Mike Tyson, however, fell in the former category, which openly embraced the contributions made by YouTubers and YouTube.
With the YouTubers now indulging in boxing, it has taken to a new chapter of exhibitions in the sport. Floyd Mayweather, Anderson Silva, and now Manny Pacquiao – several big names have or have willed to team up with YouTubers to bring boxing a new wave of light through this road.
Speaking of whether YouTubers helped boxing in any way possible, ahead of his comeback bout with Roy Jones Jr., Mike Tyson talked about some kind of respect that YouTubers deserved. Tyson said, “Well, listen. My ego says so many things. But my reality is they help boxing so much. Boxing owes these guys (YouTube boxers) some kind of respect.”
Mike Tyson went on. He explained how boxing had almost become a dying sport. According to ‘Iron’ Mike, it wasn’t without the aid of these YouTubers that boxing perceived a fresh light and was again on road.
According to Mike, in terms of viewership, the UFC had left boxing behind. However, ever since YouTubers started to box, it was again on the rise. Speaking of which, Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather had around 1 million PPV-buy on Showtime.
“These guys make boxing alive. Boxing was pretty much a dying sport. UFC was kicking our b*tt. And now we got these YouTube boxers, boxing’s doing 25 million views, boxing’s going back. Thanks to YouTube boxers,” Tyson added, saying.
As per Tyson’s beliefs, YouTube boxers increased the demand for boxing in public through the exposure they brought. Although YouTubers were not professional athletes, they did enough for people to watch the sport.
