KSI-Logan Paul bout a slap in the face of pros, says three-time world boxing champion

Referring to the illegal punches and disregard for protocol or safety, Abner Mares slammed the YouTuber bout for glorifying a lack of skill.

KSI and Logan Paul during their rematch in Los Angeles last week.

The boxing match between KSI and Logan Paul might have reportedly had more pay-per-views in the UK than Anthony Joshua's shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr , but it has not managed to impress Abner Mares.

In an interview to World Boxing News , the three-weight world title-holder slammed the bout for glorifying a lack of skill and increasing the risk of someone getting seriously hurt. He also called the bout a slap in the face for a professional like himself.

“Listen, everybody’s got their own thoughts and opinion about this fight. But for me, as a real professional boxer that has sacrificed so much to get to a certain level and get paid what I deserved, it’s a slap in the face in so many ways," the 32-year-old explained.

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While he credited the duo for making smart financial decisions as far as this bout is concerned and how much it was valued at, he was also quick to call out the lack of protocol. "But I saw so many illegal punches that could damage a person’s life," he added.

The card for the day also featured actual world champions Devin Haney and Billy Joe Saunder s but English sports promoter Eddie Hearn suggested that the social media stars were the biggest draw, hinting at a release of viewership data in a few days.

Mexican-American professional boxer Abner Mares (File photo)

"To see how much they got paid for a six-round fight and to see real pros be on the undercards. Again my own personal thoughts. I know a lot of y’all said it was entertaining, but so are the fights between two crackheads in the street," Mares exclaimed.

"I’m just speaking as a real pro fighter. But then again, I have to remember that we live in a world that is upside down nowadays,” he added.

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According to World Boxing News , 2019 has seen four in-ring deaths, with a pro-boxer dying in sparring just a day after the KSI-Paul jamboree.

While professional frustrations stand at one end, Mares does have a point about allowing amateurs make a contact sport boxing be seen as simplistically as it was last weekend.

Safety procedures and adherence to the actual rules of the sport took a backseat, increasing risk of potential injury and at the very least, an acceptance of bad practice, setting a dangerous precedent, as Mares pointed out, for spectators and enthusiasts alike.