Showbiz
Liam O'Dell
Jun 13, 2021
Getty Images for LivexLive
The influencer boxing saga continued in Miami on Saturday night, as several content creators from YouTube and TikTok met in the ring for the first Battle of the Platforms event.
It’s the latest series of fights after vlogger Logan Paul took on world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather last week, where a match which had no official winner.
Last night’s pay-per-view event boasted a handful of heated clashes, including Bryce Hall vs Austin McBroom, Deji Olatunji vs Vinnie Hacker and Ali Al-Fakhri (better known online as AnEsonGib - ‘Big Nose Na’ backwards) vs Tayler Holder.
Here’s a roundup of what happened in Miami, and the latest reactions from fans.
Bryce Hall vs Austin McBroom
The main event between Hall (TikTok) and McBroom (YouTube) ended in the third round, with the YouTuber winning by ‘technical knockout’ (TKO) - also known as a ‘stoppage’.
The TikToker, who has 20 million followers on the platform, was left with a bloody nose during the bought - a look which has since been mercilessly mocked by Twitter users online.
Bryce Hall: I’ve been in street fights. Also Bryce Hall: #youtubersvstiktokers https://t.co/1cn6P0FWAy— sarah (@sarah) 1623558295
Me going to Twitter knowing that Bryce Hall lost #Tiktokvsyoutube https://t.co/R5PGCBgOX6— kal-Jose-Le (@kal-Jose-Le) 1623566465
@_SecretFN @BryceHall @Deji The streets Bryce fought on: https://t.co/puXSq0xCBz— IG: Ghettosquids (@IG: Ghettosquids) 1623567611
Deji Olatunji vs Vinnie Hacker
This wasn’t the first time that Deji had entered a boxing ring, having lost to fellow YouTuber Jake Paul in a match in August 2018.
So, with this being his next match after that defeat, fans were hoping that this would be the beginning of a redemption arc for the content creator. Less than a month before the bout, Deji tweeted “I’m gonna shock the world” - an apparent reference to a post by former basketball player Nate Robinson before he was knocked out by Paul in November.
However, the star lost the fight in the third round, by way of TKO.
The outcome has received mixed responses from fans. Some rallied behind the 24-year-old after he tweeted saying “I’m sorry, I am a failure”:
@Deji No you’re not deji. You got in that ring. That’s more than what many could ever do. Ultimately you’re an ente… https://t.co/EGoJSj3JNo— ksi (@ksi) 1623549736
@Deji no you ain’t. bounce back from this. shit ain’t over. you put up a great fight.— Vinnie 😃 (@Vinnie 😃) 1623561947
@Deji ❤️ https://t.co/MR8Q7cw2Xv— NDL Ringside (@NDL Ringside) 1623549265
@Deji fuck off Deji. You fought like a lion. You're not a failure, head up and focus on whats next. You're a champ at heart!— Jasper (@Jasper) 1623549183
Others brutally ridiculed Olatunji, with many referencing his brother (and fellow boxer) KSI and predicting what his reaction would be:
@Deji Waiting for you at home https://t.co/uoAHZHdv1k— Ibrahem.eth (@Ibrahem.eth) 1623549179
@Deji CardioShortsGamer https://t.co/ocPmcbvOnA— Scott-Tv (@Scott-Tv) 1623549233
This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while lmao #vinnie #vhacker #deji #youtubersvstiktokers #SocialGloves https://t.co/YQHDKWOJoN— Lindsey Wyatt (@Lindsey Wyatt) 1623556135
This what Ksi finna do when he meets deji #youtubevstiktok https://t.co/QoY8tITpFU— wofo (@wofo) 1623556857
AnEsonGib vs Tayler Holder
While the other two fights ended with a clear winner, the match between Gib and Holder finished in a majority draw, with no champion declared.
This is despite many fans claiming that Gib won the contest, with the word ‘robbed’ trending at one point. Gib himself later went on to tweet: “I won and they robbed me.”
He also posted match stats which claimed that he made 38 power punches, in comparison to Holder’s 16. The total punches landed were apparently 47 and 21 respectively.
Fans were quick to back the fighter up in his claims:
@AnEsonGib Even the ref knew https://t.co/Zofr3h6XOk— tom (@tom) 1623552133
@AnEsonGib Facts— Jarvis (@Jarvis) 1623552146
@AnEsonGib SOCIAL GLOVES ARE PUSSIES— NDL Ringside (@NDL Ringside) 1623552171
@AnEsonGib The whole of the UK is with you https://t.co/xrrUm9fDDK— jack (@jack) 1623552114
Holder himself was also surprised by the result, posting on Twitter that “I don’t agree with this at all”. He did not, however, confirm who he thought should have won the fight.
It’s unknown whether the pair will enter the ring again for a rematch, but it certainly isn’t the end for influencer boxing, with Jake Paul set to fight former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in a match in August.
The former Disney Channel star still has KSI in his sights too, after the musician and undefeated boxer took out his brother Logan in November 2019.
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