Eddie Hearn believes KSI could earn a purse of £10million if he finally settles his rivalry with Jake Paul.
The British YouTuber - real name JJ Olatunji - will return to the ring for the first time in two years when he takes on Alex Wassabi at London's O2 arena on August 27. It will be his first fight since defeating Paul's brother Logan, and a victory could see him move one step closer to a high-profile meeting with Paul.
Paul and his brother Logan are expected to travel to the UK to watch the fight, with the American expected to get in the ring afterwards and come face-to-face with KSI. Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn, who has worked with both fighters, believes it will be an easy night for Paul.
“I think that’s a very easy fight for Jake Paul, at the level he’s been boxing at now, with what he’s been doing in the gym," Hearn said when discussing the fight on the Happy Hour Podcast. "You know, he’s been doing this for like two years – consistently training, sparring, proving, he’s made a lot of improvements.
“It’s a massive fight, but the problem is, when it comes down to ego and all that kind of stuff, the reality is it’s very unlikely that KSI would win that fight, so in your world – of that YouTube environment – how detrimental is it to KSI’s brand and career to lose to Jake Paul, versus the money that he would make in that fight? He's probably gonna make £10 million fight for that fight.”
It is expected that the pair would make lucrative purses from the bumper showdown, with the fight arguably the most anticipated in the world of YouTube boxing. KSI and Paul have been rivals for several years, and the pair have held a staredown once already after Paul defeated KSI's friend AnEson Gib in his professional debut.
Who do you think will win if the pair fight - Jake Paul or KSI? Let us know in the comments section below
Despite constantly trading verbal barbs on social media, a fight has yet to materialise with KSI taking time out to focus on his hugely successful music career and work with YouTube group Sidemen. KSI recently offered Paul a place on his undercard after his YouTube rival cancelled his planned meeting with Hasim Rahman Jr.
KSI believes he could help Paul by finally staging his clash with Tommy Fury in the UK, after Fury was banned from travelling to the US. However Paul promptly rejected the offer and hit out at KSI in the process. He tweeted: "I play chess, u play checkers. Your opponent is represented by me and I know a lot more about your business than you would like.
"You are not on my level in boxing or the boxing business. Out of respect for my client, I’ll let u keep chirping away like a canary. You and Fury are both big mouths, with small sacks."
