Watch KSI-Logan Paul 2 in Los Angeles on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Saturday 9 November 2019 07:59, UK
One saw his Maths tested while the other was quizzed on history, but - as their two trainers ravenously went at each other's throats - a sense of realism hit KSI and Logan Paul on Thursday. The fun and games are almost over, things are about to get very real.
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Watch KSI vs Logan Paul 2 online
With a weigh-in face-off the last remaining obligation to come, the two YouTube sensations are now almost a matter of hours away from donning professional gloves for the first time, headguards put to one side, as they finally settle their longstanding and bitter feud at the Staples Center, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
There is real anger and dismay between the pair and neither held back as they traded expletive-laden insults during an anger-fuelled press conference, each man absolute it will be them delivering a sensational knockout with the world watching on come Sunday morning.
The embryonic YouTube boxing craze is about to make the grandest of arrivals, and this - to coin a conventional boxing term - feels like its eagerly-anticipated acid test.
A deeply-intense minute staredown between KSI and Logan Paul kicked things off in Los Angeles two days out, another finished the drama off in more abrupt fashion half an hour later. The tirade that came in-between was as bizarre and outrageous as boxing is ever likely to see.
"What is 7 x 8?" Logan Paul requested, "Well who are Muhammad Ali's last three opponents…" KSI replied. A bizarre maths vs history trade-off preceding the more mandatory push and shove soon after, this is certainly personal warfare that goes way past simple arithmetic.
The battle lines have been drawn, there is simply no hiding for the loser. "This is the end of a redemption arc that has changed my life," Ohio's Paul remarked, "I will get this victory in violent fashion, you're dealing with an animal!
"You are going to get hit in the heard a great number of times, this is very dangerous for your health," he provocatively predicted.
The star British YouTuber showed assurance of his own in reply of course: "I'm a dog and a fighter, I make sure, no matter what, I defend what is rightfully mine, I'm defending my legacy. I'll knock him out, you'll see."
This rematch, over a year on from their majority draw in a white-collar bout, is a walk into the unknown, a clash between professional debutants, one that takes place in a 20,000-seater arena with millions watching across the globe. It's uncharted territory.
Add into the mix the fiery conflict of two novice rival trainers - from opposing ends of the professional boxer spectrum - swapping gloves for the pads, and even more incentive is placed on this clash of the social media titans.
Frankly, nobody knows what to expect when that first bell goes in Los Angeles, but, one thing is for sure, the perilous reality of competing in a no-headguard cruiserweight collision will now have well and truly set in.
Watch KSI vs Logan Paul 2 on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from midnight. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
