Prime card — KSI vs. Tommy Fury, Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis: Fight

While “crossover boxing” events featuring social media influencers have drawn plenty of criticism as they’ve increased in frequency over the past few years, that they draw loads of attention from the general public is beyond dispute. That will continue on Saturday, with a Misfits Boxing card headlined by the double main event of Tommy Fury vs. KSI and Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis.

The fight had some tense moments during the week as the final press conference nearly derailed Paul vs. Danis. When the two were supposed to square off for photos, Paul threw a water bottle at Danis, who retaliated by thumping his microphone on Paul’s head before the two were quickly separated. Paul appeared to suffer a cut in the fracas, but he assured fans on social media that the fight would still go on as planned.

Those two fights feature names that are known even outside the younger generation that closely follows social media accounts, but that same knowledge is not there for other fighters on the card. In reality, names like “My Mate Nate” and “Deen The Great” are likely headache-inducing for the traditional boxing audience.

In the interest of finding out who is on the card — and why anyone would care — let’s take a dive into the full card, taking an extended look at the double main event and quick glances at the other main card fights.

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KSI vs. Fury viewing information

• Date: Oct. 14 | Start time: 2 p.m. ET (main events around 5 p.m. ET)
• Location: Manchester Arena — Manchester, England
• How to watch: DAZN PPV ($54.99)

Tommy Fury vs. KSI

Fury is the one “true boxer” on the card, though his bona fides are questionable, at best. Sporting a 9-0 professional record, Fury’s best win — by a country mile — is over Jake Paul. The fight with Paul came by narrow split decision in a fight where Fury suffered a knockdown. Regardless, as the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury comes from a boxing family and has trained for much of his life.

Fury also has been on reality television, finishing as runner-up on the fifth season of the UK’s “Love Island.” Realistically, Fury’s upside as a professional boxer is low. He hasn’t displayed great skill against low-tier opposition. But he’s handsome and can play the promotional game well, which makes him a good fit in the world of crossover events. A win against KSI likely leads Fury into a rematch with Paul because it’s the biggest money fight for him and it’s unlikely he takes on a ranked contender, even in a thin cruiserweight division. That doesn’t mean Fury lacks the ability to have a successful boxing career if you are focusing on the “prize” part of the word “prizefighter.”

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