KSI has made it abundantly clear that there’s no love lost between him and Tommy Fury, claiming they are “not cool” despite having supposedly buried their rivalry last October. The 31-year-old YouTube sensation went toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury’s half-brother in a scintillating six-rounder last winter at Manchester Arena.
Despite the intense clash, Fury eventually triumphed with a unanimous decision – scoring 57-56 across all judges’ scorecards. Ahead of their encounter, Fury expressed his disdain for KSI to BBC Breakfast, saying: “I’ve never been a fan, not one bit. I just don’t like the way he carries on about all of this YouTube sneaky stuff and calling out people. I’m in a different mode now, I’m not really on social media because I’ve got a job to do and that’s to fight on October 14, my job isn’t to mess around on Instagram playing games and going back and forth with people.
“That’s what generating the money but at the end of the day I’m not getting paid to do that, I’m getting paid to fight and that’s all I will be doing.” While it’s common for boxers to resolve their animosities after meeting in the ring, KSI insisted during an interview on the ‘Origins With Cush Jumbo’ podcast that his feelings toward Fury haven’t softened.
When queried by Jumbo if friendship had blossomed, KSI tossed away the idea, emphatically responding: “No, no, no, no.” Further pressed if they socialise over lunch, KSI confirmed: “Do not like him at all. Nope. We are not cool.”
Following reports of Fury entering discussions with KSI and his team for a potential rematch in October, it appears the deal fell through. According to The Sun, Fury was offered a significant sum to return to the ring for a final face-off with KSI. However, an imminent rematch seems highly unlikely as the boxer has shifted his focus to UFC star Darren Till under KSI’s and Mams Taylor’s Misfits Boxing banner.
The match is scheduled for January 18 at Manchester’s Co-Op Live. Fury, who gained popularity on Love Island, made his boxing debut in December 2018, defeating Jevgenijs Andrejevs by points decision. Since then, he has maintained a 10-0 record, triumphing over opponents such as Jordan Grant, Anthony Taylor and Jake Paul.
KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, made his amateur boxing debut in 2018, defeating fellow content creator Joe Weller via a third-round TKO. He then faced Logan Paul, now a Prime business partner, six months later.
Their first fight ended in a majority draw, leading to a professional rematch in November 2019 where KSI emerged victorious after six rounds via split-decision. Since then, KSI has triumphed over Swarmz, Luis Pineda and FaZe Temperrr, but had a knockout victory against Joe Fournier overturned due to an illegal elbow before his face-off with Fury.
His professional record currently stands at 4-1-1, and he has not returned to the boxing ring since his defeat last October, instead concentrating on content creation with the Sidemen, releasing music, and managing Misfits Boxing.