If the goal of crossover boxing is to provide entertainment, KSI and Tommy Fury failed in their Misfits Boxing main event on Saturday in Manchester, England. After six ugly rounds featuring nearly as many clinches as landed punches, Fury took a controversial majority decision victory to remain undefeated in the boxing ring.
Fury's decision win seemed unlikely to many observers after he was deducted a point in the second round for blows behind the head. In a six-round fight, the loss of a point is a massive blow to a fighter's chances, but two of the three judges saw Fury as having done enough to get the victory despite the setback.
Round after round, the fighters were warned for excessive clinching. Despite the warnings, both men fell into clinching every time they were at distance. That smothered any punches from either man, leaving very few moments where either man truly made their mark in any round.
"Listen, a lot went on in the buildup," Fury said of his performance after the fight. "I couldn't use my right hand for six weeks. I'm not an excuse maker, but I couldn't use my right hand. ... Listen, I fought my heart out. I fought my absolute heart out and that's all I can do. I said there'd never be another Tyson Fury. I'm just trying to be the best Tommy Fury I can be."
KSI took issue with the scorecards and the two men briefly argued in the ring with KSI telling Fury that Fury was supposed to be the boxer while KSI was "the YouTuber." Fury responded by calling KSI a sore loser.
While many believed a fight with Jake Paul was the prize for the winner, Fury shot down the idea, saying he was done with the "crossover bulls---."
Fury defeated Paul by split decision in February, suffering a late knockdown. With two straight narrow wins over "crossover" boxers, Fury may need to think long and hard about whether he wants to go back to trying to truly climb the professional ranks.
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In the co-headliner, Logan Paul beat Dillon Danis over six rounds, but it's how the fight ended that will have people talking. Danis, an MMA fighter by trade, attempted a double-leg takedown, which Paul stuffed. With Danis on the ground, Paul threw a punch that landed on Danis, who got up angry as the referee tried to call time. Danis then went after Paul as security flooded the ring to keep the peace. In the end, Danis was disqualified for his actions. He also landed a total of nine punches over the course of six rounds, leading to a large disparity on the judges' scorecards that became meaningless after the DQ verdict.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
- Tommy Fury def. KSI via majority decision (57-57, 57-56. 57-56)
- Logan Paul def. Dillon Danis via disqualification (sixth round)
- Slim Albaher def. Salt Papi via fourth-round TKO
- Deen the Great def. Walid Sharks via unanimous decision (49-44, 48-45, 49-44)
KSI vs. Fury scorecard, live coverage
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSI | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 56 |
| Fury | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 57 |