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In the eagerly awaited and twice cancelled catchweight fight scheduled for February 26th, Tommy Fury vs Jake Paul will draw both boxing fans as well as entertainment professionals.
The rise of YouTube stars such as Logan Paul, Jake Paul, and KSI into boxing has created a’sportainment” movement that combines entertainment and sports.
Entain data, which is a global gaming, betting and interactive entertainment company, shows that nearly three quarters of Brits support Tommy Fury.
The pair have attracted a significant number of people to the contest through spats on social networks and other altercations at boxing events over the past 12 months. Entain’s online data covers the Group’s diverse portfolio of brands worldwide, including Coral in the UK and Ladbrokes.
- The top three fights in the last five years with the highest number of new customers were those that featured a YouTube celebrity. In 2018, and 2019, over 1 in 4 customers bet on Logan Paul and KSI fights were new customers.
- Despite the Covid restrictions, YouTube bouts have seen a steady increase in interest. The KSI vs. Logan Paul fight in 2019 saw a threefold increase of bets compared to their first fight in 2018. In addition, over twice as many customers bet on the fight. This shows the rapid growth in interest in creator boxing.
- This trend will continue with the Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul fight, which is expected to surpass the New Zealand heavyweight bout between Joseph Parker and Jack Massey.
- More than 1 in 4 customers who bet on the Tommy Fury-v Jake Paul fight will be new customers. This is a stark contrast to the traditional boxing match between British rivals Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith earlier this year, where only 2% were new customers.
Entain’s Chief Commercial Officer Dominic Grounsell stated: “The way that fans interact with entertainment and sport is changing. Creator boxing is one trend that is at the center of this convergence. Our data shows that these events are bringing new life to the sport and diversifying it. Interactive entertainment is our forte. We want to create excitement for all of our customers and back it up with the best player protection em>
