KSI's Misfits Boxing promotion have announced that their upcoming show in Telford will feature a 'tag team' boxing match between two teams of social media stars.
BDave will team with the journeyman professional and crossover boxing cult hero Luis Pineda to face Canadian comedian Kyle 'Stromedy' Godfrey and Austin Sprinz on March 4. Both teams began as rivals, with Pineda taking a dominant decision win over BDave earlier this month after being revealed as a mystery opponent and Stromedy defeating Sprinz at Showstar last year.
The promotion have regularly pushed the envelope in the sport, having KSI fight twice in one night during his comeback event back in August, before introducing the concept of a 'mystery opponent' for this month's pay-per-view event. For 'tag team boxing', the ruleset has yet to be confirmed, but the bout will be sanctioned by the Professional Boxing Association.
"People will hate on it, people will love it, some will understand, some won't," promoter Mams Taylor told the promotion's YouTube channel yesterday. "But at the end of the day this is what Misfits is about. We've got serious competition in there, we have fun, we have antics, we have sports entertainment and that's what we're about.
"So get used to it, love it, lump it, whatever you want. But we're here to stay and make some noise in an area which it's never been done before. Real combat sports, with real entertainment on another level." In a brief statement on Twitter, KSI shared the announcement with a series of laughing emojis, saying: "Boxing Purists ain’t going to like this one."
The bouts will take place under standard boxing rules for the men in the ring, and it remains to be seen what the exact ruleset will be for tagging opponents in and out. Fighters will wear 16oz gloves as opposed to the 10oz ones that Misfits have become known for since their debut show back in August.
What do you make of tag team boxing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"It's a little bit safer for everyone," Taylor continued. "If people are concerned 'what about the safety?' The rules will ensure that there's safety precautions put in place. Look, this is boxing, this isn't a pottery class, this isn't golf, this isn't darts. If you get in that ring, it isn't safe.
"You can make it safer by doing certain things and we already do that by the most stringent testing. The medicals, everything else we have is more thorough than traditional professional boxing. So we take all the measures but we still want to make sure that we entertain and that's what it's about for us."
Misfits Boxing's events are sanctioned by the PBA, not the British Boxing Board of Control and as such are not recognised professional fights despite fighters competing in 10oz gloves over three-minute rounds. Their shows are co-promoted by Kalle Sauerland and Wasserman Boxing. This event will be the fifth in Misfits' 'X-Series', airing live on DAZN.
