John Fury, the father of Tommy Fury and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, stole the spotlight during Tuesdays press conference that showcased social media personalities KSI and Logan Paul, as well as MMA fighter Dillon Danis and cruiserweight boxer Tommy Fury.
Events like the “YouTube” or Misfit events, involving social media influencers, are undeniably entertaining, but as demonstrated by the press conference, they contribute to diminishing the reputation of the sport. The press conference centered around the double main event featuring YouTuber KSI (real name: Olajide Olatunji) against Tommy Fury, and WWE star/social media personality Logan Paul against former MMA participant Dillon Danis.
Ironically, it wasn’t the expected headliners of the KSI-Fury/Paul-Danis event that captured attention, but rather John Fury, father of participant Tommy Fury and famously Tyson Fury’s father. John Fury, a former professional boxer turned trainer for Tommy Fury, is known for his eccentricity and vocal outbursts during interviews and press conferences.
The introductory press conference on Tuesday for the event that will be held on October 14th provided the perfect stage for John Fury to make a spectacle of himself, as demonstrated in the following video link:
In the video, John Fury seems to lose control, overturning a table and appearing to challenge KSI (or both KSI and Logan Paul) to a fight. The context leading to John Fury’s actions was marked by explicit rants and constant verbal exchanges among the participants in the double main event, details that are beyond the scope of this platform.
The antics displayed by John Fury and the main event participants during the press conference seemed more fitting for an adult-themed circus show. Kalle Sauerland, one of the co-promoters of this event and similar ones, has been instrumental in these proceedings, yet has managed to avoid substantial criticism despite the controversies surrounding Misfits’ events.
Some controversies were deeply concerning, such as influencer Chase DeMoor repeatedly striking a downed opponent, resulting in disqualification. Others were perilous, like KSI’s previous bout against businessman Joe Fournier, which ended in disqualification after Fournier was hit by an accidental elbow during a combination by KSI. This incident appeared to be an unintended result of KSI’s limited boxing skills compared to a professional boxer.
The events on Tuesday merely highlighted the growing spectacle associated with these shows, with John Fury at the forefront of this blow to traditional boxing. Influencer boxing, as this genre is referred to, garners considerable attention due to the social media influencers’ fanbases and the dramatic incidents that unfold during press conferences and interviews.
Such incidents, including John Fury’s actions, have become standard in the realm of “influencer boxing,” drawing more attention to these events. However, this hasn’t translated into increased interest in traditional boxing matches, whether they involve world title fights or unification bouts, as evidenced by comparisons of pay-per-view numbers before and after the rise of influencer boxing.
While the profanity-laden exchanges between participants may attract attention, traditional boxing continues to suffer from the negative impact of these circus-like shows. Promoters like Kalle Sauerland, who produces these events under the “Misfit boxing” banner, contribute to the gradual erosion of boxing’s integrity, casting further doubt on the role of promoters whose influence has already thwarted numerous potential blockbuster fights from taking place.
John Fury has since apologized for his actions, remarking that his behavior was unacceptable, but the damage to traditional boxing remains. Influencer boxing, however, will likely not see the same sort of backlash as the event is set to continue as planned on October 14th at the Manchester Arena, in Manchester.
