Rak-Su singer Ashley Tebi, whose group won the 2017 season of X-Factor, was knocked down within three seconds of his fight with Anthony Taylor on Saturday night on KSI's Misfits Boxing.
The musician had boxed previously on Wicked 'n' Bad shows, but took a massive step up in competition to face Taylor, who is a sparring partner of Jake Paul's and went the distance with Tommy Fury last year. And the levels showed within the opening exchange as the American ducked under a lazy shot and sent him tumbling with the first punch he threw.
Tebi was visibly stunned by what he had just been hit with, but managed to get back to his feet and survive the round despite an onslaught from Taylor. The American has had a frustrating run in influencer boxing that saw him go without a televised win, but he showcased all of his skills against a much lower level of opponent in Tebi.
In the second round, Taylor landed a similarly big shot, although when his opponent inevitably went down a few seconds later, it was ruled a slip. The rest of the fight played out with the Rak-Su star attempting to clinch and get punches away, while Taylor walked him down and used his skill to keep the fight on his terms, with the judges ultimately giving him the win.
"I told him to take it easy," Tebi joked after the fight. "He hit me on the head right at start and I went 'what was that'. Congratulations my brother. I got slogged, he put me down in the first ten seconds and all I could think was 'what's this?' Then the rest of it is just me trying to survive.
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"But look, this is a levels thing. You've got somebody who does this day in and day out and it is not a joke. He practices it, he lives it and breathes it. I've done that as well, but for six weeks, he's done it for years, he did what he's supposed to do and he did it well. To be fair, he's been gracious behind it all, he's a lovely guy and a funny brother I wish him all the best - next time don't hit me so f***ing hard!"
Taylor, a member of Paul's team who has a 2-3 professional boxing record and is 7-5 in MMA, is next set to face Love Island winner Jack Fincham on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs Deji next month in Dubai. He is keen to earn his way to a fight with KSI, and plans to continue in the influencer boxing space.
"I didn't know he was a lefty, but thank God I had AJ McKee [the 19-1 former Bellator featherweight champion] with me through the camp to push me through it and kick my a**," Taylor told Mirror Fighting after the fight. "At the end of the day, we're all happy we got the victory."
