Logan Paul beat Dillon Danis by disqualification when Danis tried to pull him down to the mat toward the end of the sixth and final round at AO Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday.
Paul dominated and entered the sixth round having won each of the previous rounds on all judges cards, according to ring announcer Michael Buffer.
Danis’ attempted pulldown by guillotine prompted security to flood the boxing ring as the event came to a wild end.
“Dillon Danis truly is a coward,” Paul said during a post-fight interview. “Just a dirty, dirty human being. … This camp was so hard. Dealing with a guy like that was not easy. He’s a true demon, a true coward.”
The fight had been preceded during the week by insults, accusations, barbs, potshots and profanities exchanged by Paul and Danis.
Paul, 28, had survived an eight-round exhibition with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2021. But he had only one other professional fight, which he lost to YouTuber KSI by split decision.
Danis, 30, is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 2-0 in MMA. But he hadn’t fought since 2019.
A round-by-round analysis of the Tommy Fury-KSI fight and the Paul-Danis fight:
Tied up again but throwing punches. Two game fighters, finally separated. Tommy Fury misfiring again and again. Not missing by much, but missing nonetheless. More of the same – punches thrown, not much landing. KSI 38, Fury 37.
KSI looking too elusive for Tommy Fury. All that power, and Fury just can’t channel it into a clean and impressive punch. And yet here he comes. Finds KSI’s face. Leaning on KSI, using his weight advantage. KSI throws a wild right. Misses. Fighters in a familiar spot: a clinch. Fury appears to land a right. KSI 29, Fury 27.
Tommy Fury lands with a right. Fury appears to hit KSI in the back of the head again! Referee takes away a point from Fury. KSI slugging away to Fury’s body. Plenty of action here. Fury just can’t find the target. KSI too elusive. Fighters again in the clinch. KSI 20, Fury 17.
Looks like a wrestling match here. But fighters look interested in exchanging punches. KSI lands a straight right! Yes, Tommy Fury is bigger, but speed could differentiate here. In the clinch again, but punches being fired. KSI reaching to the back of his head and appears to be in pain. Shot behind the head, and looked deliberate. KSI waving his arms. Odd style, but appears to be working. Fury struggling to connect. KSI 10, Fury 9.
Dillon Danis needs a knockout. What’s he waiting for? His flight home? He dives and grabs Paul’s legs. Tries to tie him up. Danis is turning this into a joke. Referee taking away a point. Paul swinging away. Danis unloads with a left but misses. Another big left, another miss. Paul isn’t going to get KO, but is in control. His prize: a cut under Danis’ eye. Now a wild scene! Security storming the ring after Paul knocks Danis to the crowd. Paul tried to hit Danis when he was down. Then Danis tried to pull Paul down and gave chase before security flooded the ring. An embarrassing effort and end for Danis. A reasonably impressive effort for Paul. Fight ended in disqualification.
Dillon Danis apparently complaining about punches below the belt. Fans complaining about Danis not throwing punches. And then he does! But nothing sustained. Big swing and a miss for Danis. He’s opening up again, but Paul is steady, firing at his opponent’s body and looking like the better boxer. Huge uppercut from Danis, but not closing to landing. Paul 50. Danis 45.
Dillon Danis finally connects! Welcome to the fight! Fighters are jawing at each other. No love lost here. Danis moving around the ring as if he’s in a jiu-jitsu tournament. But maybe he has a surprise for Paul? Paul less active but still doing far more than Danis. Paul 40, Danis 36.
More of the same. Dillon Danis taking punches with gloves up in defense. No attempt to strike Paul. Paul a little less active this round. Tired from throwing all those punches? He’s targeting the body. Danis falls onto the mat, raises legs, taunting Paul. That’s all Danis has shown so far – the ability to taunt, not to punch. Danis finally throws a couple of punches. Nothing effective. Paul controlling the action. Paul 30, Danis 27.
Dillon Danis remains in a defensive position with his hand up around his face. Logan Paul keeps throwing and dropping his hands. He looks comfortable. Danis is showing no plan. Fans are booing. Paul lacks fluidity but is making up for it with power and activity. Paul is firing, Danis is blocking. Danis drops his gloves and spreads his arms as if to say ‘Is this all you got?’. Here comes Paul! Connecting. Danis could be in trouble. Just a barrage from Paul. Both boxers look a little winded. Paul 20, Danis 18.
Fighters meet at the center of the ring. Logan Paul fires, connecting but nothing fierce. Dillon Danis tying up Logan. Paul is the aggressor. Danis looks like he’s trying to find his footing, so far without success. Paul is firing away with body punches and connects with Danis’ face. Paul drops his hands. Firing punches, still no serious damage. Is Danis trying to let Paul to wear himself out? Danis finally unfurls a big left, but does not connect. Paul 10, Danis 9.
Slim Albaher recovered from a sluggish start before stopping Nathaniel “Salt Papi’’ Bustamante with a fourth-round TKO in their middleweight bout.
Bustamante appeared to be baiting Albaher in the third round when he dropped his gloves. Albaher seized the moment and soon was on the attack before scoring a TKO at 2:54 of the fourth round. The bout was scheduled for five rounds.
Albaher improved to 7-0 with five KO’s.
Logan Paul said he’s prepared to fight without emotion even after Dillon Danis hit him Thursday with a microphone when a brawl broke out after a press conference. Paul called the injury near his left eye “a scrape.’’
“I reached a little bit of a Zen moment last night because he has made it so personal and how do you not go in there wanting to murder this human being,’’ Logan told Ariel Helwani on the DAZN broadcast. “And the answer is I forgive him. I forgive Dillon. I’m just going to go in there and do my job.’
Tyson Fury, the heavyweight boxing champion, was on hand to watch his brother Tommy Fury fight KSI. And, of course, he had a prediction.
“Tommy’s going to knock this (expletive) out cold,’’ he screamed into a microphone during an on-stage interview, drawing cheers inside the arena.
Deen the Great scored two knockdowns, then weathered a late barrage of punches to beat Walid Sharks by unanimous decision in a five-round lightweight bout.
Sharks, in addition to getting knocked down twice in the third round, twice lost his mouthpiece after Great punched him in the face. Yet Sharks remained on his feet and appeared to have Great in trouble before the final bell sounded.
The judges scored it 49-44, 49-44 and 48-45.
What, you thought Jake Paul was going to watch the fight on pay-per-view?
Logan’s little brother has arrived at AO Arena sporting a black hoodie.
American Anthony Taylor bulled his way to a victory over Brit King Kenny by unanimous decision in a five-round light heavyweight bout.
At the sound of the opening bell, Taylor rushed across the ring and started firing punches at Kenny. He missed plenty of punches throughout the fight that lacked artistry, but remained the aggressor and frustrated Kenny, who lost a point for holding in the fourth round.
All three judges scored the fight 49-45.
Logan Paul arrives at AO Arena holding the hand of his fiancée, Nina Agdal, with his left hand and holding a banana in his right hand.
The attire includes a black cap, black jeans and a striped flannel top.
Landing crisp jabs and combinations, My Mate Nate beat Whindersson Nunes by unanimous decision in the four-round light heavyweight fight.
Nunez was the more powerful fighter, but Nate was the more accurate and skilled. All three judges scored it 40-36.
Danis, who has threatened to pull out from the fight with Logan Paul on at least three occasions, arrived at AO Arena – in spartan style. He exited a white vehicle without an entourage and wearing a sleeveless black T-shirt.
And, those signature black shades.
A four-round, tag team boxing match featured three knockdowns, a flurry of other jarring punches and, twice, a pair of boxers tumbling to the mat. The crowd cheered for the spectacle that featured two teams, BDave and Luis Pineda vs. Nichlmao and Alex Wassabi, but there was no winner.
The judges scored it 39-37, 37-39 and 38-38.
The pay-per-view event, which is headlined by Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis and Tommy Fury vs. KSI, starts at 2 p.m. ET Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England. Ringwalks for the Paul-Danis fight will start at about 5 p.m. ET. It is available on DAZN and PPV.com for $54.99.
Paul is a heavy favorite.
FanDuel has it Paul (-490) vs. Danis (+400), with +1200 odds for a draw.
Odds Shark has it Paul (-500) vs. Danis (+330).
Jake Paul has stayed relatively quiet during the buildup for the fight between his brother Logan and Dillon Danis. But Jake Paul waded into the prediction pool Saturday.
“Fight day, my final official prediction for Logan versus Dillon is,’’ Jake Paul said, “Logan knocking him out second round. You heard it.’’
Logan Paul also has predicted the fight will end within two rounds.
The undercard will feature:
- Tommy Fury vs. KSI (cruiserweight, co-main)
- Salt Papi vs. Slim; For the Misfits (middleweight)
- Deen the Great vs. Walid Sharks (lightweight)
- King Kenny vs. Anthony Taylor (heavyweight)
- Whindersson Nunes Batista vs. My Mate Nate (light heavyweight)
- Nichlmao & Alex Wassabi vs. Luis Pineda & B Dave (tag team)
UFC, OBJ and RBI are among the well-known abbreviations in sports today.
KSI has stormed onto the scene as one of pop culture’s biggest headline makers of the past few years. And he’s elbowing his way into the sports landscape.
He will face boxer and reality television star Tommy Fury in an exhibition boxing match on Saturday in a co-headlining fight with Logan Paul and MMA star Dillon Danis.
With a reported net worth of $23.9 million, KSI has made his name as one of the most prominent social media stars of the digital age. He has more than 24 million YouTube subscribers, 13 million Instagram followers and 11.7 million followers on TikTok as fans clamor to keep up with his content. As a rapper, he has a No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. As a businessman, he has one of the fastest-growing beverage companies in the world.
The 30-year-old was born in London to Nigerian parents. He has a younger brother, Deji, who is also popular on YouTube and has his own boxing career.
KSI is known for his flashiness and brazen personality. When he was rising in popularity, he received criticism for misogynistic content on his YouTube page and this spring, he was called out for using a racial slur in a video, which he apologized for. — Victoria Hernandez
KSI and Logan Paul were bitter enemies in the late 2010s and they fought each other in a 2018 boxing match. The first face-off was a draw, but KSI won the 2019 rematch.
The foes-turned-friends now own PRIME, a beverage competitor to Gatorade and Powerade. They introduced the drink in 2022 and advertised it as a healthier alternative with less sugar.
PRIME comes in fun flavors like Ice Pop, which is reminiscent of Bomb Pop popsicles, and the newly-released Glowberry. — Victoria Hernandez
Dillon Danis will enter the boxing ring without any previous experience but the element of surprise. Outside sparring sessions, no one has seen what he can do.
“How do you prepare for a guy like Dillon Danis?’’ Milton Lacroix, Logan Paul’s trainer, said during an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “You just got to hit him right away.
“Knock him in the nose real quick and make his eyes start tearing. He’s going to realize he’s in a real fight and that he can’t take us down.’’
Under normal circumstances, Danis, an MMA fighter, might respond by trying to take his opponent to the ground. But that will be disallowed in the boxing ring.
“No elbows, no chokeouts,’’ Lacroix said. “He has to stand up.’’
Logan Paul is less experienced and accomplished than his brother, Jake, who has a record of 7-1 with four knockouts as a pro boxer. But Logan survived eight rounds with Floyd Mayweather Jr. during his last fight, on June 6, 2021.
Paul clocked Mayweather early in the fight before the Hall-of-Famer regained control despite being six inches shorter and more than 30 pounds lighter.
In his only previous bouts, Paul fought social media influencer KSI to a majority draw in 2018 and lost the rematch the next year by split decision.
Danis is undefeated in mixed martial arts. Which is slightly less impressive when you consider he’s had only two pro fights. In two Bellator bouts, he scored first-round victories – by toe hold against Kyle Walker in 2018 and by armbar against Max Humphreys in 2019.
Music mogul Drake has wagered $850,000 that Logan Paul will knock out Dillon Danis.
The betting slip was posted on Drake’s Instagram page Thursday and shows the payout would be $1,351,000. The accompanying comment reads, “Never bet against personal vendetta and settling scores.’’
Responded Paul via X, formerly known as Twitter, “Easy money.’’
Drake’s bet caught the eye of Danis, the MMA fighter who will be making his boxing debut. He reposted an image of the betting slip on X with this caption: “850 on my head is disrespect.’’
Logan Paul said he will fight Dillon Danis as planned Saturday despite getting bloodied Thursday when Danis hit him in the face with a microphone after a melee broke out during a news conference.
“Dillon can’t escape me,” Paul posted on X. “The fight is very much happening, the stakes just got higher.”
Earlier, Paul’s trainer said the YouTube celebrity suffered an eye injury that could jeopardize the bout scheduled for six rounds.
“Right now, we going through hell,” Milton Lacroix, Paul’s trainer, told USA TODAY Sports during a phone interview. “He got hit in the face. His eye’s cut. So right now I’m just bugging out right now, just trying to find somebody. There might not be a fight.”
But the CEO of the company promoting the boxing match later said Paul is “still ready to fight.”
“Logan’s good,” Olajide Olatunji, the CEO of Misfits Boxing, told reporters. “I went to go see him. He’s all good. He’s still ready to fight. If anything he’s very angry and he can’t wait to get his hands on Dillon.”
Olatunji, who is better known as KSI and fighting in the co-main event, described Paul’s injury as a “bump.”
The feud between Paul and Danis leading up the fight has turned nasty, with Danis having posted sexually explicit photos of Paul’s fiancé, Nina Agdal, online.
Agdal filed a lawsuit last month accusing Danis of “a relentless, ongoing campaign of cyber harassment and bullying against her” that included “unlawfully posting nonconsensual, sexually explicit photographs of her on the internet without her consent.”
If you’re waiting for the 24-year-old Fury to develop into the second coming of his half-brother, Tyson, prepare to wait for eternity. He had the looks to earn a spot on the dating reality show Love Island. But here’s true reality: In the ring, he scarcely resembles Tyson Fury, the reigning heavyweight champion.
Tommy Fury (9-0, four KO’s) did earn some credibility with his split-decision victory over Paul. The victory featured some legitimate boxing skills. Granted, against a YouTube celebrity.
KSI has a record of 4-0 with one no contest, which took place in March when KSI knocked out businessman Joe Fournier with an illegal elbow strike to the face.
His boxing career began in 2017 with two amateur fights. That included a majority draw over Logan Paul. The two met again in 2019 and in a pro bout KSI prevailed by split decision.
He followed that with a second-round knockout of Swarmz, an English rapper; a first-round knockout over FaZe Temperrr, an English YouTuber; and the no contest against Fournier.
KSI has said he’ll be wearing the most expensive mouth guard in the history of boxing. It’s encrusted with diamonds (four carats) and includes a 24-carat gold leaf, according to Talksport.
The estimated price tag: $50,000, according to the Daily Mail.
SafeJawz, the manufacturer, offers mouth guards for as little as $11 (without the diamonds or gold).
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
