Don’t sneer at the boxing crossovers – they’re lucrative, successful and here to stay

On Saturday night, Jake Paul once again blurred the lines between boxing and acting with another win. His opponent in Dallas was Nate Diaz, a renowned MMA fighter, with a rudimentary understanding of the boxing game, but a huge heart. And a cult following. On the day that Dillian Whyte was ruled out of this Saturday’s sold-out fight with Anthony Joshua, a tank was used to take Paul to the ring. It was mayhem, boxing for a new market, a novice against a man making his professional boxing debut. Meanwhile, in the real world of boxing, Whyte will appeal the findings of the latest test he has failed; Paul will continue to grab headlines as he feasts on a list of faded athletes from other sports, especially veterans from the UFC circuit. The UFC fighters are genuine brawlers, they bleed for their trade but they sell each fight like members from wrestling’s glory days of the Eighties and Nineties. Against the backdrop of excesses, it must be remembered that Paul did lose on points to Tommy Fury, a genuine novice boxer, in Saudi Arabia a few months ago; the step up in class was simply too much, which should be the pay-off line to a very funny joke. However, here is a punchline to choke the purists: Paul made over 30 million dollars for the eight-round fight with Fury. Fury, incidentally, has fought as a legitimate boxer with a British Boxing Board of Control licence, but he will go full carnival in October when he fights the entrepreneurial YouTuber, KSI, in Manchester on a show under the Misfits promotional banner. Paul, Fury and KSI are making more money for their fights than just about every single boxer in the British business. The cynics and purists are scoffing, but the demand for the fights is there and it is increasing. It is pointless standing on the outside and saying they are rubbish – they might be, but they have a following and a formula that works. Fury’s big brother, Tyson, fights a man called Francis Ngannou in a Saudi Arabian ring in late October. Ngannou will make in excess of $10m for the non-title fight. Fury is the current WBC heavyweight champion; he is unbeaten in 34 fights and Ngannou has never been in a single boxing match. Ngannou, you see, is, like Diaz, a former champion from the MMA circuit. He recently quit the UFC business as their heavyweight champion to sign with a rival company; Jake Paul is heavily involved with the new company. It is mad to think that at the end of this year, Tyson Fury, for just one fight against a huge wrestler, will be the highest-paid British boxer of the year. And, his little brother, Tommy, will be the third highest-paid British boxer. Joshua will be second on the list. Paul, meanwhile, is not in the Canelo Alvarez earning realm but is probably in the top five earners in America. He might even be number two. Young Tommy is unbeaten in nine, ranked a generous 16 out of 54 boxers at his weight in Britain and he should start his fight with KSI as the favourite. His brother, the heavyweight champion of the world, will start as a bigger favourite when he meets a man who has never boxed before. It is a circus, make no mistake, but it is an entertaining circus. And yes, it is wrong that Fury, a novice, is making a hundred times more for his non-title fights than a British champion can make for a defence. It is wrong, but not illegal, which could be boxing’s motto. Tommy’s fight with KSI is not being held under Board rules but the safety measures in place on any Misfits shows are exceptional. There was a further blurring of the lines when it was announced last Friday that Mike Tyson, the original Tyson, would work in the gym with Ngannou to prepare for Fury. “I would consider all offers,” Tyson replied when I asked him if he would have liked a cross-over fight during his fighting days. Incidentally, Fury against Ngannou in Riyadh will be fun until Fury gets serious and then there will be few laughs. The real debate in boxing is whether the millions of fans that watch KSI and Jake Paul in their day jobs as influencers will watch boxing beyond the appearances of their idols. Does it really matter if all the millions and millions of so-called new fans have switched off before Ekow Essuman’s latest defence of his British welterweight title? Tommy Fury has certainly never stolen one of Ekow’s fans, but there is a very real chance that a fighter like Ekow could steal a few of Fury’s followers. The YouTubers, tourists from the MMA world, Love Island refugees, influencers and other assorted clowns are not going away; the boxing invasion is happening and boxing needs to find a way to somehow embrace the potential new fans that are watching. 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