When news broke that Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter boss Elon Musk had challenged each other to a cage fight, the internet was set ablaze.
This week, those flames were fanned as Zuckerberg's Meta launched Threads, dubbed Instagram's "Twitter killer" app, amassing 30 million users in only a day. Twitter has even threatened to sue Meta, with Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro stating that X Corp had "serious concerns" that Meta had engaged in “systemic, wilful and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property”.
While a fight between the two tech giants has not yet been confirmed, the anticipation of such a match and the potential viewership comes on the back of a growing trend of influencer boxing.
English YouTubers Joe Weller and Theo Baker sparked the trend when they uploaded a video of themselves engaging in an amateur boxing match in 2017.
The sport was then reintroduced to a whole new generation of social media users with YouTubers, Instagram influencers and TikTokers challenging each other – and boxing champions encouraging their millions of followers to watch pay-per-view matches.
While influencer boxing is fairly new, the past six years have seen some major matches by famous online personalities and renowned names from the ring.
Here are the five matches that have helped popularise and cement the growing sport of influencer boxing.
KSI versus Logan Paul
The match between British YouTuber KSI and American YouTuber Logan Paul is considered one of the boxing matches that truly popularised influencer boxing.
The two social media personalities already had a long-running and public feud online, but it was only after KSI fought and won a boxing match with YouTuber Joe Weller in 2018, did he challenge Paul to the ring.
They agreed to a two-fight contract. Their first match took place on August 25, 2018, in Manchester, England. The six-round fight ended in a draw – two judges scored 57-57 and one judge scored 58-57 in KSI’s favour.
Their second match was a six-round fight which took place on November 9, 2019, in Los Angeles, where KSI defeated Paul through a split decision by the judges. Two scored in favour of KSI, 56–55 and 57–54 and one in favour of Paul 56–55.
Austin McBroom versus Bryce Hall
YouTuber Austin McBroom faced off TikToker Bryce Hall on June, 2021 in a live boxing match.
Given McBroom and Hall’s popularity online, their match was positioned as the main fight at Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms. Despite both fighters having similar fighting experience, McBroom was clearly the more skilled fighter. He beat Hall in round three via a technical knockout.
Floyd Mayweather Jr versus Logan Paul
Paul entered the ring again in June 2021, this time with recently retired professional boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Mayweather has an undefeated record with 15 major world championship wins to his name. Given the perceived disparity of their skills and careers, the fight garnered a lot of attention online. However, many fans were left underwhelmed with the eight-round exhibition match.
Exhibition matches are often friendly spars with the main purpose being to demonstrate the skills of the two fighters. Here, the main goal of a fighter is to make it through the fight without getting knocked out.
The fight was not scored and had no winner.
Anderson Silva versus Jake Paul
In October 2022, Jake Paul, the younger brother of Logan Paul, fought professional Brazilian mixed martial artist, boxer and former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.
Jake Paul, who only began boxing in 2020, had sparred previously with NBA player Nate Robinson and former MMA champion Ben Askren. Silva, on the other hand, at 47, was the more experienced and skilled fighter.
However, when the two fought at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona, Paul beat Silva through a unanimous decision by the judges. Paul scored a knock-down in the eighth round of the fight, which helped cement his career as a professional boxer.
Floyd Mayweather Jr versus Deji Olatunji
Mayweather Jr engaged in another exhibition boxing match in November 2022, this time against YouTuber Deji Olatunji. The match took place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai and like Mayweather Jr’s fight against Logan Paul, there was a significant build up from fans.
Olatunji had participated in three boxing matches previously. The first two with YouTubers Alex Wassabi and Fousey, both of which he lost and one with rapper Swarmz, which he won.
While his match with Mayweather was viewed as a step-up in his boxing career, it was obvious that that he was undermatched.
Mayweather won the match after scoring a six-round knockout over Olatunji. The referee needed to step in to stop Mayweather from continuing to throw punches at Olatunji who at that point, was giving little response.
Jake Paul versus Tommy Fury
In February, Jake Paul fought professional boxer and reality star Tommy Fury in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
The pay-per-view fight was highly publicised, mainly through Paul and Fury's online feud and their continuous “trash talking” on social media and at public events leading up to the match.
Up to this point in his fighting career, Paul had never been defeated in a fight with many pointing out that this was the first time he would be facing a “real boxer.”
Fury won the eight-round boxing match through a split decision by the judges and ended Paul's undefeated record.
While it’s not clear how many people paid to watch the fight, the match created a lot of attention online and is considered a significant moment in the world of boxing and particularly in the future of influencer boxing.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Racecard:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.
