H3 Podcast producer AB Ayad will make his return to the boxing ring on April 15 when he faces YouTuber 'Dad' on the second Creator Clash event in Florida.
Ayad, whose day job is working on one of the biggest podcasts in the world, had one of the most exciting rounds ever in YouTube boxing when he and rival Hundar shared knockdowns in the third stanza of their five-round clash last May. And after vowing never to fight again following his stoppage defeat, the social media star is trying one last time for redemption.
Across the ring from him will be arguably one of the most intimidating fighters on the card; Nathan 'Dad' Barnatt who landed a 22-second knockout over Matt Watson on the same card. The pair have both continued their training, and will put their friendship aside for one night to compete for charity this year.
"I can't believe I'm doing it again," Ayad told Mirror Fighting . "I said I wouldn't fight again but I don't know, the first experience was insane, a really cool experience and something is compelling me to fight again. I don't know what it is but I feel like I have unfinished business, if you will.
"I would have loved an easier one [than Hundar or Dad], I definitely accepted both opponents. I trust Ian and Anisa's [the event's promoters] opinions. No one thought me and Hundar were a good pairing until Ian and really more Anisa saw that we had similar energies, she ended up being right.
"Me and Hundar were the first two to find coaches, we both took it very seriously and we matched each other's energy well. Even leading up to the fight we didn't talk to each other much, we were friendly but we hadn't faked beef and we didn't even meet each other until the day before the fight."
Ayad trains out of the world famous Wild Card Boxing gym in Los Angeles, home to the likes of Manny Pacquiao and run by the legendary coach Freddie Roach. He has spent time alongside Pacquiao's son Emmanuel Jr, and believes that he will be able to overcome the intimidation of an opponent whose last fight lasted mere seconds.
Who do you think wins; AB or Dad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"Firstly, we're good friends, we got close during the first Creator Clash and he's a great guy," Ayad said of his rival. "That being said, his whole strategy is intimidate to eliminate but I'm from Detroit and that s*** is not going to work with me. Every day it's constant, he's everywhere, playing mind games and the physical game.
"That's not going to work with me, it instils no fear in me, it doesn't bother me at all. That being said, he does have amazing stamina, he does have power behind his hits and it's kind of hard to judge how good he is as a boxer based on what we've seen with Matt where it was a 22-second round."
And his biggest concern is focusing on his own weaknesses. After a tremendous showing for the first three rounds, Ayad struggled with the pace as his last bout wore on, which he understands can't happen against a cardio machine like Barnatt. "In all honesty, my main concern is my stamina as it was the first fight," he added.
"Going into the first one me and my coach knew that stamina was what I was short on. That ended up being the reason I lost, because I couldn't keep up. Dad has amazing stamina which is my weak point, so that's primarily my focus. I'm not so much worried about his power, his technique. I'm mainly concerned about stamina."
