Misfits Boxing ‘disrespectful to sport’ as Mayweather lumped into dig

Former Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison has slammed Misfits Boxing and Floyd Mayweather for disrespecting the sport. Harrison is not a fan of crossover bouts and believes it is damaging boxing with fighters entering the ring without ‘proper training’ or ‘commitment’.

Misfits, which is the leading promotion behind the rise of influencer boxing, has come under fire from hardcore fans since its inception in 2021. Despite co-promoters Kalle Sauerland and Mams Taylor regularly distancing their product from the mainstream alternative the damage, at least according to Harrison, is extending itself to the professional side of the sport.

Mayweather has also been blamed for his part in the crossover sphere. Despite retiring from professional boxing in 2017, TBE has continued to compete in lucrative exhibition bouts with YouTubers, reality television stars and everything in between.

However, Harrison refuses to lump Jake Paul and Tommy Fury’s long-awaited grudge match into the same equation as he says they have dedicated themselves to learning the craft.

“You’re not going to lose your life, number one, and you’re not going to disrespect the sport. A lot of these guys want to give it a shot and they are not putting in the work they need to, so therefore the end product doesn’t look good.”

On Saturday, Misfits promoted their fifth show at the Telford International Centre, headlined by TGF star Jay Swingler and content creator NickLmao. Also on the card was a tag team boxing match which pitted Luis Pineda and BDave against Ice Poseidon and Anthony Vargas in a WWE-style bout.

The fight was well received by Misfits fans but not by the wider boxing world as the safety of the event was called into question. Misfits is sanctioned under the auspices of semi-pro organisation, the Professional Boxing Association (PBA), not by the UK’s leading professional boxing regulatory body, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).