Boxing prepares to be dragged kicking and screaming into brash YouTube world for #KSILoganPaul2

A city block 10-minute walk from the Staples Centre, normally the home of the LA Lakers NBA team, was taken over on Thursday night by Winnebagoes, Kraft catering and enough lighting to burn through the muggy fog that hangs over the city another Hollywood production being shot on its streets.

For one thing, its a clash of cultures: the world of boxing is being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the limelight and the brash world of YouTube drama.

Not that long ago Eddie Hearn, the ringmaster behind this weekends event, was saying he thought the initial bout between the two YouTubers in Manchester was a waste of time.

The YouTubers have also had to travel some way to meet in the middle: both creators have had to get official accreditation from the states boxing board, while there have been concessions made to the demands of pro sports

Earlier this year the rematch in Los Angeles was announced, with a new name attached: Hearn, the head of Matchroom Boxing, the promoters of traditional sporting contests who had signed a billion-dollar deal with live stream sports service DAZN.

There are still a significant number of tickets remaining unsold though in recent weeks Hearn has said hes confident the event will sell out; others involved in the promotion of the fight tell The Independent the American audience tends to leave it late until securing their seats.

The decision to host the event in California was obvious, says Liam Chivers, manager of KSI, and the person who has brokered many of the agreements around the event.

It was never going to be agreed with Logan to bring it back to the UK for this one again, even if there was a suitable platform, he explains.

It also made sense with the assumed core fanbase of Logan there although as weve seen, KSIs audience is far stronger and more engaged than Logans, even in the US.

The build-up has been fun, the fight itself will be watchable, the fall out of the fight will go on for weeks and the numbers and revenue generated will be huge, he says.

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