Misfits Smash London Once Again
KSI added to his fast-growing boxing reputation by flattening stand-in opponent Temperrr with ease on an exciting Misfits 004 card.
Let me reiterate that when I say boxing reputation, I mean amongst this circle he has created. Jake Paul may have sighted Canelo Alvarez as his end goal, but KSI knows his place, and knows that this scene is his to run.
And to carrying on running it, he needed to get through a late step-in. Originally, KSI was pencilled in to go to battle with MMA ‘fighter’ Dillon Dannis, who decided that 10 days from fight night he might be in above his knees.
Step in professional Call of Duty player, FaZe Temperrr. Despite a loss on the Misfits circuit last time out, he was viewed by many as a more worthy opponent than Dannis. Whether he would be or not remained to be seen. One thing he would certainly be facing was the pro-KSI crowd that comes with his fight nights.
To Wembley Arena.
And as anticipated, it wasn’t anything crafted from the Lomachenko playbook. In fact, it couldn’t have been further. The opening bell was met with a series of wild swinging attacks from KSI, whilst the taller Temperrr tried to maintain some boxing structure.
But it was the frantic style of KSI that proved most effective. With the first combination landed, Temperrr found himself hugging the canvas. It was goodnight within two minutes.
Cue the mixed reactions in the Paul household…
KSI wasn’t the only man to leave his opponent on the deck, as Salt Papi backed up his claim as perhaps the only genuine danger in the influencer scene, the TikToker finishing American Josh Brueckner with a counter-punch that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a professional ring.
One man who did leave the professional ring for the Misfits ranks is Idris Virgo. His fortnight in Love Island earning him his influencer stripes and therefore his entrance fee into boxing’s golden circle.
He fought and pummelled Anthony Taylor, who himself had spent all week calling for KSI. I don’t think that’s one we’ll be seeing anytime soon. Message to Anthony Taylor - don’t write cheques your body can’t cash.
Elle Brooke smashed up Faith Ordway to clean her crown as Misfits’ main female fighter. She then called for the head of Astrid Wett in a fight that would combine two of the country’s most influential adult entertainers. Whatever next.
Former KSI opponent Swarmz got his Misfits redemption as a single jab left Ryan Taylor unable to continue. Three weeks’ notice ✅ 22lbs lost ✅ inexperienced ✅ - maybe Swarmz could teach Dillon Dannis a thing or two.
Slim and Tom Zanetti went to war over four rounds in what was the most entertaining fight of the night for the Misfits Light-Heavyweight title. Slim pipped it but Zanetti can feel hard done by on his ring debut.
But the moment of the night has to go to Luis Alcaraz Pineda.
Six months ago, this 2-7 fighter from Mexico was unknown to even the most hardcore of boxing fans. In fact, to them, he still probably is. But to an army of teenagers, he is nothing but a legend.
Why, you ask? Well, five months ago he was dropped six times en route to a third-round stoppage defeat… to KSI. Legend status comes easy these days.
Anyway, he was bought to the ring as a mystery opponent for BDave. No, me neither. However, Pineda’s ring walk, beginning with the Undertaker bells and ending with a Mariachi band, was quite something.
The fight was quite something too, as Pineda seemingly used his five months since the KSI fight to learn how to box a bit. Combinations, bodywork, head movement. It was hardly Canelo Alvarez, but it was a far cry from the shambolic effort put up at the O2 in August.
He ended up cruising to victory, whilst adding a little storyline to the night. It seemed the perfect example of why the Misfits model will do nothing but succeed as time goes on…
… and you HAVE to respect it.
In fact it is hard to not to have a certain level of admiration for the way Misfits have moulded this scene. There is an art to being ridiculously below-par at something yet still making it both sellable and watchable.
You also have to keep in mind that this is its own entity. This isn’t replacing professional boxing and I don’t think it wants to. They aren’t stealing our viewership, they aren’t stealing our money and they aren’t stealing our platform.
In their eyes, a pornstar against a model is worth more than a prospect against a 5-42 Romanian. And let’s be honest, who are we to argue?
Oscar Bevis
Official reporter for iFL TV