KSI talks FaZe Temperrr & facing Jake Paul later this year

YouTube star KSI will be main eventing X Series 004 against FaZe Temperrr, owner of the famed FaZe Clan.

Fresh off of signing a new exclusive five-year deal with DAZN, YouTube star KSI will be facing another star in his own right, FaZe Temperrr, the leader of the online gaming team FaZe Clan. The event will be shown on DAZN all over the world, and it’s part of the Misfits & DAZN X Series which will stream live from the OVO Wembley Arena in London, U.K.

KSI is an interesting person who popped into the exhibition boxing scene back in 2019 against Logan Paul. Obviously, before that fight, he was already a social media star. He was a big enough name to lure Paul into a fight and pack the Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A. Since then, he has continued to put on these exhibitions and eventually turned it into what it is now Misfits & DAZN X Series. I get that it’s not for everyone, but you do have to admit that it takes a particular business mind to put together these shows and have them see a large amount of success. DAZN wouldn’t give KSI a five-year deal if they were losing millions of dollars, so he is doing something right. Having little things like their own title and a mystery opponent for those outside of the promotion to figure out are all things that bring interest to an event that isn’t your traditional boxing card.

Leading up to the event, KSI was originally supposed to fight Dillon Danis, but due to a dispute about the rehydration clause from Danis, he decided to pull out of the fight, and with Temperrr already scheduled on the card, it made sense to plug him in as a replacement. Looking back at Danis pulling out, did KSI feel it was a blessing in disguise? KSI told FanSided, “I would love to destroy Dillon (Danis), especially after all the comments he made saying I’m not a fighter and this and that. I would love to smash his face in, but unfortunately, he had to pull out, so, I’m fighting Faze Temperrr, he’s six foot four, southpaw, rangy guy who’s trained by Deontay Wilder’s coach, Malik Scott.”

KSI vs. FaZe Temperrr will be streamed live on DAZN PPV 

KSI continued, “It’s cool as people are responding better to this fight (Temperrr). I honestly didn’t expect people to enjoy this fight more than Dillon Danis and me. I think with my audience, they just want to see me tested. They want to see how good I am compared to Jake Paul. So me fighting tougher opponents is probably the way I need to move now.”

It’s funny that he should bring up Jake Paul, as they have this ‘love/hate’ relationship between them. They are both competitors not only in their respective spaces but in the ring as well. Each time one of them fights, the other is either initiating verbal jabs or is on social media talking trash about their upcoming fight with the potential of them sharing the ring one day. Both men are brilliant and good at what they do, so they both understand that when they finally meet in the ring, it’ll be a super fight for their audiences and one that would generate a ton of money.

Will we ever see KSI vs. Jake Paul? Are we going to get that matchup this year finally?

KSI told FanSided, “I don’t believe Jake (Paul) is better than me. I’ve said this several times. Obviously, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, just fight now,’ and I’m like, that’s just not how it works. Like the negotiations just take too long for us to go back and forth. In the meantime, I said I wanted to fight three fights this year. Temperrr will be one; I’m going to fight another in the summer and then Jake Paul at the end (of the year). I don’t understand why he thinks I’m ducking him or I don’t want to fight him when I’ve literally told him ‘I want to fight you’. That’s the reason why I’ve come back into boxing; to fight Jake Paul. I think he just has a lot of cap, you know, and says a lot of nonsense. He just says stuff loudly to please his fans and get his fans excited. But you know, with me, I’m quite clinical with everything I say; there’s truth to it. When I get to Jake, he’s gonna understand that I’m not here to play; I’m dangerous now. And I’m going to flatline him, destroy him, and show that he was never on my level.”

When preparing for these exhibitions, KSI wants everyone to know that he takes his training seriously, consisting of two-a-days for six out of seven days a week. This is not him doing some mitts at times and cardio, then walking into the ring. If it were that easy, then everyone would be doing it.

KSI said, “Obviously, there’s a lot of eyes on me, so I have to make sure I put in 110% of everything I do. It’s easy to just go to the gym and do the bare minimum, but I push myself to the limit and to the point where my brain is telling me to stop, give up, fall over and fake an injury, etc. I just have to keep pushing through and just reach that area of no return.”

Focusing on the task at hand, Temperrr is a southpaw, and that style gives most conventional fighters issues because the punches are coming from a different angle. KSI has done his homework on Temperrr, so he doesn’t feel like he will be caught off guard by anything he may bring to the table on Saturday night.

KSI told FanSided, “I know he’s gonna struggle on the inside, especially with my pressure and power. I know he’s quite good outside, and I don’t really want to stay on the outside for too long, which is the way he’s gonna try and pick me off. I’ve got certain angles I want to hit, and basically, I kind of want to end this in the first round. I want to show my dominance, try to get in, and destroy him; peace out, and have a nice night. Nice, quick, easy night and celebrate with my friends and family.”