The Morning After: Misfits Mayhem Legitimizes Jake Paul In Comparison

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The Morning After: Misfits Mayhem Legitimizes Jake Paul In Comparison

Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images

Here’s what you may have missed!

Misfits Boxing 7 was a wild event. A card filled with names like Lil Kymchii, Wings Of Redemption, and Zuckles — how could it not be? More to the point, it was a genuine shit show and not in the fun way.

Legitimate combat sports and freak shows fights have been walking hand-in-hand for as long as anyone can remember. Two decades ago, Mirko Cro Cop followed up a star-making knockout win over the great Igor Vovchanchyn by kicking a professional wrestler in the face, Luchador mask and all. Earlier this year, Quinton Jackson and Bob Sapp fought in a “siamese boxing match” against whatever the fuck “Sloppy Balboa” is.

Point being: Misfits Boxing doesn’t really do anything new. Pitting Internet celebrities against another internet celebrities — and I’m being really generous with that description — is not a recipe for anything other than crappy fights. Top-to-bottom, it was a bad card, so let’s quickly recap the night

There were just two knockout wins in 10 matches. How come? That’s the simple result of a bunch of untrained punchers who fall into the clinch every time they try to extend a combination. One of those fights was the 800-pound showdown that ended via standing eight count, primarily due to exhaustion. Really, Misfits is lucky neither of those two went full Dada 5000.

In the main event, influencer extraordinaire KSI secured a tremendous knockout win if only he were fighting MMA or Muay Thai. Grabbing an underhook with his left hand, KSI delivered a full-on elbow straight to the jaw. Since it’s an exhibition match for a made up organization, the knockout was treated as legitimate and immediately used as promotional fuel for KSI’s next potential bout against Tommy Fury.

One of the only athletes with actual professional experience, Anthony Taylor, did not help save the card. Instead, he fought to a split-decision win over Salt Papi, who is NOT Salt Bae as I initially suspected. It’s just disappointment all around.

As the would-be Pepsi to Jake Paul’s Coca-Cola, Misfit boxing really just serves to legitimize the Paul spectacle. Sure, Paul is obviously targeting aging and smaller MMA fighters, but at least he actually fights for more than four rounds and throws punches rather than elbows. Furthermore, he fills up the rest of his event with actual boxers like Badou Jack and Amanda Serrano.

That’s at least something redeeming to be found in those showcases.


For complete Misfits Boxing 7 results and play-by-play, click HERE!

https://www.mmamania.com/2023/5/14/23722712/misfits-boxing-7-the-morning-after-misfits-mayhem-legitimizes-jake-paul-in-comparison-to-ksi