Dillon Danis was voted the "most hated athlete in the world" in a brief Twitter poll after pulling out of his fight with KSI that was set for next week.
The Bellator MMA fighter had been due to face YouTube star KSI at Wembley Arena but was reportedly 'underprepared' and decided not to fight. He was replaced by fellow YouTuber Thomas Oliveira, more commonly known by his screen name, Faze Temperrr.
He has refused to make a solid response to promoter Mams Taylor's claims that he pulled out due to not training properly for his boxing debut, instead opting to post outlandish cryptic messages. The 2-0 MMA star posted a poll, which has been deleted, asking fans if he had become the "most hated athlete in the world".
The poll received tens of thousands of votes in the minutes that it was live. The results were damning, with around 73 per cent of voters answering that he was, in fact, the most hated. Other voters who chose "no" also noted that their choice may be due to the fact that after almost four years of inactivity, he may not be considered an athlete any more.
Fight promotion Global Titans, who staged Floyd Mayweather's exhibition with KSI's YouTube star brother Deji back in November, got in on the trolling, mocking Danis for his latest fight pullout. "Are you even an athlete?" They asked in one tweet responding to the poll.
KSI and his team were furious with Danis skipping the fight, despite having prepared with multiple back-up options in the case that he were to decided against showing up. It appears that he had been training with pals in New York who are involved in boxing, but had not yet found a legitimate trainer and was unresponsive when asked by travel bookers who his team were.
"I mentioned at the press conference that Dillon was being haunted by me," KSI said in a statement. "He made his excuses and knew he couldn't handle what I bring to a boxing ring. This answers the question whether he's a fighter or not. He's a warrior alright, a keyboard warrior.
What do you make of Dillon Danis after pulling out of yet another fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"And hopefully he's learnt to leave the real men to speak with their actions rather than hollow words. That being said, my focus won't be distracted from the task at hand, and that's FaZe Temper. Credit to Temper for stepping up like a REAL fighter."
KSI's manager and Misfits Boxing boss Taylor broke the news of Danis pulling out in a video for the Misfits Boxing YouTube channel. He said: "As you guys are aware, Mr Danis has made quite a few excuses, he signed a binding short-form contract and no material changes were ever made.
"His team, who I feel sorry for because they're very co-operative and respectful, they came and said to me, 'Dillon is pulling out of the fight'. The real reason is, from what they said to me, that he's underprepared. He has no coach, he might be struggling with weight even though there's no rehydration, he has not been able to find a team that's going to support him to bring him into the fight."
