YouTube star KSI has warned rival Jake Paul he will be the A-Side if the pair square off at the end of this year.
The iconic social media sensations, with hundreds of millions of followers between them on top of billions of video views, are expected to fight at the end of 2023 after a five-year rivalry. The bout will likely draw a huge pay-per-view audience as Paul, who has become a legitimate player in boxing and KSI, the UK's biggest YouTuber, finally clash.
KSI is expected to fight once more after this weekend's bout with Faze Temperrr at Wembley Arena on DAZN PPV, before targeting a December showdown with Paul. In the meantime, the American will return to the ring, likely in February, before fighting once more and moving to the bout against his rival.
Speaking to Mirror Fighting ahead of his return to the ring on Saturday night, KSI detailed his contract demands, saying: "Weight-wise, I'd love it to be 176lb, 177lb, but 180lb sounds perfectly fair, maybe even slap a rehydration clause - I know he'd want that!
"It has to be in the UK, I think I'm definitely the A-Side, I walk second, ring size I think it should be a nice 20-foot ring and I think that's it that's on my mind. I'm sure there's other things money-wise that Mams [Taylor, his manager] and Nakisa [Bidarian, Paul's manager] can deal with. 50-50 seems fair. I don't think it should be 60-40 in anyone's favour or anything. 50-50 makes sense."
Paul, who has made tens of millions of pounds from his professional boxing career, has previously stated he would be willing to give up his A-Side position for the first time in order to secure a fight with KSI. He recently announced his plans to have his first fight in MMA with the PFL, but chart-topping rapper KSI is confident the fight will happen regardless of other commitments.
The American will take an equity stake in the MMA promotion as part of his deal, which KSI believes is a large part of the reason that he took the leap to the cage in the first place. He and Jake's older brother Logan Paul have a massive-selling drink called Prime Hydration, and he also owns a number of other major businesses as well as maintaining successful YouTube and rap careers.
"I think he wants to fight, that's what I believe," KSI insisted. "I think he just wants a percentage in something to act as if he's an entrepreneur himself. When it comes to being an entrepreneur he's just not on my level, when it comes to clout he's not on my level, when it comes to anything he's not on my level.
"Boxing ability? He's not on my level. I'm just showcasing what I can do with my opponents until eventually when I do fight Jake Paul it shows that he's not on my level. And I'm also trying to build Misfits [his boxing promotion], lots of people forget that if I wanted to just get a bag I would fight Jake instantly and then it is what it is and whatever happens happens, but I'm here trying to build and become as big as WWE and UFC."
