Fight fans have accused KSI's opponent Ivan Nikolov of being a neo-Nazi after pictures emerged of his allegedly racist tattoos.
KSI announced on Wednesday that he will fight two opponents on the same night when he makes his ring return on August 27. The YouTube star was originally scheduled to fight Alex Wassabi, but the American pulled out due to a concussion and was replaced by rapper Swarmz, who has never stepped foot in the ring at any level.
After facing heavy criticism for the opponent change, KSI opted to challenge Nikolov on the same night as fighting Swarmz. Nikolov is a Bulgarian professional boxer, who has won just three of his 21 bouts and sports many tattoos, which fans believe represent Nazi symbols.
A "white power" tattoo on Nikolov's stomach is not the only piece of neo-Nazi symbolism inked on his body. On his left forearm, Nikolov has a tattoo of the words "Blood & Honour", which is the name of a neo-Nazi skinhead group formed in England in the 1980s. Also in between the words is a triskele symbol, a three-pointed swastika which was the logo for the group.
On the arm is a Celtic cross surrounded by a circle, another common white supremacist tattoo. Adding to Nikolov's ink is a Schutzstaffel logo on his right arm. The Schutzstaffel was the police and military force of the Nazi Party, of which members pledged an oath of loyalty to Germany's former dictator Adolf Hitler.
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Nikolov's tattoos also came to light when he was pictured shirtless at a football match in Bulgaria, seemingly amongst other football hooligans. One picture of Nikolov with his arms by his side clearly shows his neo-Nazi ink, with more memorabilia visible on a wall behind him.
Nikolov also has a "white madness" tattoo on top of his head which is not visible when he is pictured face-on. Nikolov's neo-Nazi tattoos were pointed out by one of his previous opponents, Daniel Blenda Dos Santos, who took issue to them when the pair fought last April. After winning by first-round knockout, Dos Santos said: "When I saw his tattoos, some of them racist in nature, I wanted to hurt him. I am not disappointed to have had [a short fight]."
