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Katie Taylor believes KSI v Logan Paul clash makes a ‘mockery of the sport’

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Katie Taylor believes the boxing match between YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul makes a ‘mockery of the sport’.

The social media ‘influencers’ will fight as pro boxers on the top of a massive Staples Centre, DAZN and Sky Box Office-broadcast bill on Saturday night.

The pair fought in England last year and drew an audience of over 1million. The numbers pricked the ears of Eddie Hearn and he has brought them from the white collar world to the pro boxing arena.

The American and English YouTubers will now trade 10oz leather without head-guards on top of a bill that includes world champions such as Billy Joe Saunders and Devin Haney.

Hearn and the fight’s supporters argue it will expose boxing to a new audience and may convert some casuals into longer term fans, but there are some who just can’t take to the concept.

Unified lightweight world champion and recently crowned WBO light welterweight world title winner Taylor is one of those with reservations.

The Irish icon believes it makes a mockery of the sport. The Bray native suggests it belittles the years of training, effort and – particularly in her case – battling fighters put in to both master their trade and gain recognition.

It also highlights the business side of boxing, another thing Taylor isn’t overly fond of.

“I’m not really too sure to think of the Logan fight. Sometimes I think it makes a mockery of the sport in that these two YouTubers are headlining a big show,” Taylor told Talksport.

“It’s all about business, I understand that. I’m just interested in the purity of the sport, I love fighters going toe-to-toe together.”

“This is our lives, it’s something we’ve been working towards since we were 10 or 11 years of age. We’ve had amateur competitions, we’ve stood in the dressing room not knowing who we were going to fight in these competitions.

“We’ve put our bodies on the line week in, week out for years and years now. I love the fight game, I love the purity of the sport. There’s something very noble about going into the trenches against your opponent.

“I just love that side of the sport, I don’t like the other side of it.”

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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