To become an internet sensation you naturally have to have an air of confidence about you.
Well, KSI and Logan Paul have proven beyond doubt that they can talk big and showed they are not afraid to swap the verbal barbs for physical blows.
A little over a year ago, the two big-talking internet personalities fought to a unanimous draw in Manchester in an amateur bout. The Guardian reports that the bout attracted a capacity crowd of 21,000, generating an estimated £2.7m (US$3.5m) and more than 800,000 pay-per-view buys at £7.50 ($10) a pop.
The warring duo are going at it again but this time in the professional ranks, with Matchroom and DAZN putting the event on PPV.
Before the gloves come on in Los Angeles on Sunday, here's everything you need to know about the duel.
Who are the YouTubers?
KSI, real name Olajide William Olatunji, shot to prominence through his online videos. Originally, KSI grew his following by uploading videos of himself playing the EA Sports franchise game FIFA.
As his profile grew, KSI ventured into other projects – most notably releasing rap tracks and a clothing range.
What's his social media following like?
KSI has an astonishing 20.5million subscribers to his YouTube channel, while 5.1m follow his Twitter account and 6.7m his Instagram page.
KSI… what does it stand for?
The KSI moniker means "Knowledge, Strength, Integrity" – three words he has tattooed on his arm. He made a video of him getting the ink, in which he apologises to his mum.
How did he get involved in boxing?
KSI fought for the first time in an amateur bout against fellow YouTube star Joe Weller in February 2018.
That came around after Weller called out KSI following victory in his first amateur bout. After winning the fight, KSI was awarded the YouTube Boxing Championship.
Who is Logan Paul?
Paul first became an online personality through his work on now defunct video service Vine. He later moved to YouTube and Facebook and now is a vlogger.
What's his social media following like?
His Logan Paul Vlogs channel has 19.9m subscribers, while a further 1.78m subscribe to his Impaulsive podcast YouTube page. He has 16.4m and 5.1m followers on his respective Instagram and Twitter pages. He courted controversy for showing a recently deceased corpse of a man who had committed suicide by hanging in the infamous suicide forest in Aokigahara at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. He then took down the video and issued a public apology on his Twitter handle.
Has he been involved with other ventures?
He most certainly has. As well as his strong online game, Paul has produced music videos and podcasts, while he has also dabbled in some acting.
How did he get involved in boxing?
Technically, it was KSI who fired the first shot when he called out Paul following his win over Weller. The confident American answered the call.
Why are they fighting each other?
An online rivalry that was borne out of KSI calling out fellow YouTube stars after defeating Joe Weller has escalated to a world-wide scale, with a reported 60 million witnessing their first contest.
The first contest between the duo ended in a draw, but the fighting talk continued almost immediately after.
"I think we have to have a rematch. Let's do it, that was fun! I can't wait to see your bloody face all over the internet," KSI taunted.
Paul concurred replying: "I think that's what the people want. Let's give them a rematch."
Fittingly for YouTube stars, KSI used a quip that will have landed well with the internet generation, albeit with some pretty gruesome additions.
"I can't wait to see the memes of him slumped on the ground after I've repeatedly beaten the life out of him. He's facing a different animal this time. He will soon realise," he said in September. A tad too violent, perhaps?
A report by
The Independent suggests that the duo already signed up for a two-fight deal anyway.
All love lost? No love to begin with
Any idea that, despite the heat of battle, underneath it all is a underlying mutual respect was quashed by KSI.
He said: "There is no respect there for Logan Paul and I can't wait to finish him off! In the last fight I was able to see his strengths and weaknesses and all his credibility is going to go out the window! I have the power, he doesn't!"
Say what you like about either man there is no lack of confidence, as proven by this line from Paul.
"I am sparring professional fighters and I am beating them badly. That does so much for my confidence," he claimed.
"I relied on my athleticism to carry me through the first fight and it almost worked."
Where can one watch the bout?
Dazn has streaming rights in the United States and the app (available on the Apple store and Play Store) will also stream the bout, while Sky Sports will broadcast the game in the UK. Logan also listed www.fite.tv as a place to watch the game for countries without specific broadcasters being announced.
Who is expected to be there? Who isn't?
Pop singer Justin Bieber is expected at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and has made his support for Logan Paul public in an Instagram post.
Conor McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis has been banned by the bout organisers from attending the high-profile duel because of his involvement in the brawl following the Irishman's loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Dillon, who has a bitter ongoing spat with Jake Paul, Logan's brother on Twitter expressed his disappointment in a tweet.
What are the rules of the bout?
The Sun reports that the bout will be a professional affair with the YouTubers ditching headguards. The internet sensations will box over six three-minute rounds. This bout will also see the duo using lighter gloves to allow faster movement -thereby exposing themselves to the risk of feeling the punches a lot harder than in their last bout.
The bout is at cruiserweight, so both fighters must be under 200 pounds.
In case of a draw, we might be in for Paul vs KSI #3.
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