KSI has revealed that he rejected offers of up to $30 million to fight Jake Paul, confirming his complete retirement from boxing.
In a candid interview on The Ranveer Show, the YouTube star and Misfits Boxing co-founder disclosed the staggering sums he walked away from to close the chapter on his boxing career.
I've been offered 20 million to fight Jake Paul, 30 million to fight Jake Paul. People, these guys can't give me any amount of money to fight this guy. When it comes to boxing, I'm done," KSI stated emphatically.
The revelation comes after years of public tension between KSI and Jake Paul, with the British influencer revealing that the fight he desperately wanted never materialized due to Paul's continued reluctance.
"My main goal when I got into the boxing ring again was to fight Jake Paul and build Misfits. Built Misfits, tried to fight Jake Paul time and time and time again. He just excuse after excuse after excuse," KSI explained.
KSI further accused Jake Paul of deliberately manipulating weight requirements to avoid the fight. "He was just getting heavier and heavier and heavier trying to move the goalpost when it comes to weight. Then it got to the point where I was like, 'What am I doing, man? I'm done,'" he said.
The influencer-turned-boxer also revealed that money has lost its appeal as a motivator in his life, which factored into his decision to walk away from the massive payday.
"For me, money doesn't really drive anything for me. I'm at a point where I've made it. I made it in life. I've smashed it," KSI shared. "But for me, it's all about giving, just giving back as much as I can."
Despite never securing the Jake Paul fight, KSI expressed satisfaction with what he accomplished, having successfully launched Misfits Boxing into a major promotion in the influencer boxing space.
The Brutal Reality of Training Camps
KSI also offered a brutally honest account of what professional boxing training camps did to his body and mind, calling it the hardest thing he's ever done in his life.
"Of everything I've done in my life, that is the hardest thing. The hardest thing really. I'd say the training, how physically and mentally draining it is, it's just like nothing else," KSI admitted.
The YouTube star painted a vivid picture of how the 12-week training camps would progressively break him down. While the first week felt manageable and even exciting, the reality would quickly set in as twice-daily training sessions took their toll.
"By the seventh, eighth week, you're like, why am I doing this? I hate this. This is horrible. I'm getting beat up. I don't even want to get up anymore. I feel ill. My body is starting to shut down because you're just feeling sick, ill, but you just have to fight through it every day," he explained.
KSI also detailed the psychological torture of the strict diet that accompanied training. "The food, the type of food you have to eat, bro. It's the same thing over regimented. Just chicken, rice, no spice, nothing. Just chicken, rice, bland. And you're yearning for like some sweets or something that just to spice up your life," he said.
The emotional weight extended to fight night itself, where KSI revealed he grappled with intense fear of public humiliation.
"I don't want to get knocked out. I don't want to become a meme," he admitted, explaining how the pressure of fans betting thousands on him would add to the burden before each walk to the ring.
The aftermath of losing proved particularly devastating after investing so much. "What a waste of my time. What a waste. I literally spent 12 weeks of my life killing myself to not get the result that I wanted," he reflected.