How good is KSI at boxing?

These days, the term ‘Youtube boxing’ is commonly thrown around. Love it or hate it, the Youtube boxing industry is huge – with many popular Youtube stars earning more than most professional boxers. In fact, a single payday can easily earn these Youtubers millions in revenue.

One of the most popular Youtube boxers going is KSI. After making a successful debut back in 2018, KSI has featured in a number of high-profile bouts against other Youtube stars. However, how good is KSI when it comes to boxing? This is something that numerous Youtube fans and boxing critics have debated for a while now. In this article, we shall assess just how good KSI is when it comes to the sweet science.

The positives of KSI’s boxing

Cardio

Undoubtedly, one of KSI’s biggest attributes in the boxing ring is his cardio. It’s fair to say that he has a strong gas tank and can go deep when called upon. This shows just how seriously he takes his boxing and cardio is one of the most important attributes in any combat sport.

Without it, you can easily lose to people who are worse than you. In his fight against Logan Paul, KSI managed to go the full distance and get a draw. In fact, as the fight went on he started to get the other hand. This was due to his cardio and endurance. When it comes to boxing, some have better cardio than others – and KSI is certainly one of those people.

Heart

Whilst talking about the Logan Paul fight – another good part of KSI’s game is his heart. Arguably, heart is something that cannot be taught and comes from deep within. As KSI was losing badly and managed to stay in the fight (and eventually draw), this speaks volumes about his heart and character.

Combined with his good cardio, these two go hand in hand and mean that even if he’s losing, KSI won’t give in easily. Due to this, you can never count him out and if KSI drags you into a sloppy fight then he may be able to beat you. Heart doesn’t just apply in the ring either. Over the years, KSI has improved his boxing massively which shows he’s eager to learn and improve.

Power

In his fights against Swarmz and Luis Pineda, KSI won both by knockout. As you can see by his frame, KSI is a strong guy and has knockout power. Obviously, he’s not the strongest or most powerful boxer ever. However, within the realm of Youtube boxing, his punches are still to be feared. KSI will often throw haymakers which can lead to knockout punches if his opponents are unfortunate enough to be hit in the head.

The negatives of KSI’s boxing

Low fight IQ

One of the biggest criticisms of KSI has been his consistent lack of fight IQ. Although boxing is undoubtedly violent and at times barbaric, it’s still highly technical and relies on tactics and strategy. This applies to your initial plan on how to approach a fight, as well as in the moment when you have to react to an ever-changing environment.

Arguably, Floyd Mayweather Jr. had the best fight IQ ever and used this to out-think his opponents which is why he was never beaten. Sadly for KSI, he isn’t exactly a tactician in the ring. Interestingly, during training sessions, you can see him put moves and combos together. However, during his fights – this often goes out the window and he starts swinging wildly. The best example of this was in his fight against Logan Paul.

Instead of playing it cool, at times KSI looked like he was brawling without any ideas. Obviously, this isn’t good and can easily land you in trouble. Like many untrained boxers, he arguably relies too much on haymakers and doesn’t mix things up enough, looking too predictable in the process.

Weak defense

Another issue with the technical side of KSI’s boxing is his weak defense. This is probably the most common criticism with many boxers across the board – and KSI is no difference. Here, we’re talking about his tendency to drop his hands low and invite punches to his head. It goes without saying that this can easily turn a winning round into a losing one.

Luckily for KSI, he hasn’t been too punished with this approach but against more talented boxers – he would be. Of course, KSI isn’t alone in this criticism but if he fights better opponents, he may eventually get punished for constantly dropping his guard.

Sloppy footwork

Similarly, KSI has been criticized for his poor footwork. At times this looks stiff and lacks movement. When boxing, you want to be fluid and move on your feet quickly to avoid getting hit. Combined with his low guard, this can easily lead to trouble. As seen with his draw against Logan Paul, KSI seemed too slow at times and his movement looked stiff.

This resulted in a number of big punches being eaten up by KSI. In fairness, he wasn’t knocked out but certainly flirted with danger. Over the years, it’s certainly true that KSI has improved in this area though, and isn’t as poor as he once was.

Is KSI a good boxer?

Based on the above information – it’s fair to say that KSI could easily beat an untrained opponent in the boxing ring. Despite his flaws, KSI has trained professionally for a number of years and has had some good coaches during that time. As well, he’s proven a few times in his fights that he is capable of winning which doesn’t count for nothing. Furthermore, it’s also true that he’s certainly improved over the years and looks like more of a genuine boxer these days compared to his earlier career.

Having said this, many people still view KSI as a good amateur boxer and nothing more. Even though KSI has earned millions for high-profile fights, he’s also fought against cherry-picked opponents. For instance, the likes of Swarmz and Luis Pineda were both clearly very low-level boxers who would easily lose to most solid amateurs. With this said, you should take KSI’s boxing with a pinch of salt, and comparisons to serious professionals aren’t realistic. On the one hand, he got into boxing late and has a busy lifestyle doing other stuff.

This means he was never going to become a legitimate professional due to not spending enough time training in his younger years. On the other hand, he has the resources and determination to train and improve. As a result, he’s certainly developed into a good boxer who could beat many amateurs, without ever threatening any seasoned professionals outside of the Youtube domain.