Will KSI Box Again? What to Expect in 2025

By Ali Hammad December 02, 2025 06:31

Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, the 32-year-old YouTube titan turned crossover boxing provocateur, has always thrived on the edge of chaos. From his 2018 demolition of Logan Paul 1.3 million PPV buys, a record that still haunts promoters to the bitter 2023 split-decision loss to Tommy Fury that left him questioning the sweet science altogether, KSI's ring ledger reads like a fever dream: 4-1 in pro bouts (3 KOs), 75% finish rate, but a career punctuated by more drama than decisions. It's been over two years since he last laced up, a self-imposed exile fueled by hand injuries, entrepreneurial empires, and a nagging doubt that boxing might not be worth the toll. As 2025 draws to a close, with whispers of a 2026 return growing louder, the question burns: Will KSI ever box again? The answer, pieced from his own cryptic admissions and insider chatter, is a resounding yes but 2025 was never the year. It was the bridge, the reset, the year he traded hooks for headlines.

KSI's hiatus hasn't been idle; it's been incendiary. Post-Fury, where he landed 178 of 278 punches (64% connect rate, per CompuBox) yet dropped a razor-thin verdict (115-114, 115-114, 114-115), the Watford warrior vanished from the canvas. A planned August 2024 tag-team scrap against Slim Albaher and Anthony Taylor at Misfits X Series 17 evaporated due to a fractured right hand his third injury in as many years sidelining him for surgery in November. "I'd been non-stop with boxing, and it definitely takes a toll," KSI confessed to DAZN News in a raw November sit-down, his voice laced with the fatigue of a man who'd headlined events grossing £11 million ($14 million) in 2023 alone. "There was frustration... I felt like I won, and to this day I do. But I've learned from my mistakes."

The void? Filled with ventures that make his net worth estimated at £20 million ($25 million) by Forbes look like pocket change. Prime Hydration, his Logan Paul collab, shattered $250 million in sales by mid-2025, with KSI pocketing £10 million in dividends. Lunchly, the kid-friendly meal kits, launched with a £5 million infusion, while his Sidemen crew inked a Netflix deal for "Sidemen Inside," dropping episodes that averaged 15 million views. Music? "Dirty," his latest single, debuted at No. 4 on the UK charts, touring 20 dates across Europe for £2 million gate. And Misfits Boxing? The promotion he co-founded exploded to 22 events in 2025, pulling 1.2 million PPV buys across the year headlined by Darren Till's third-round KO of Luke Rockhold at Misfits 22 (£1.5 million revenue). Yet, in October, shockwaves hit: Andrew Tate, the 38-year-old kickboxing vet turned controversy magnet, seized CEO reins in a boardroom coup, ousting KSI's inner circle amid whispers of "failed obligations." Sidekick Boxing's Daniel Knight pounced, tweeting: "@KSI If Tate became CEO of Misfits, how about you become CEO of his old sponsor? 👀." KSI's response? A viral pad session clip where he shadowboxed Tate's hype, smirking: "Four-time world champ? More like four-time talker."

2025's ring teases were pure KSI big builds, bigger busts. January's X Series 20 at Manchester's Co-op Live saw him booed into the cage, announcing a "comeback" against ex-Chelsea fullback Wayne Bridge, a 2018 debutant with zero wins. "I'm back for the superfights," KSI bellowed, shoving Bridge in a staredown that drew 18,000 jeers. But February's faceoff imploded over KSI's chants about Bridge's ex, Vanessa Perroncel ("Vanessa woah!"), prompting a withdrawal and a scathing statement: "I won't be involved in these exchanges." Enter Dillon Danis, the BJJ black belt and Logan Paul conqueror-wannabe (DQ loss in 2023). March 29 at AO Arena: "Unfinished Business," a cruiserweight grudgefest hyped as KSI's redemption. Odds favored him at -300 (75% win probability), with projections of 800,000 buys. Danis, 0-1 in boxing but 5-0 in trash talk, goaded: "KSI's scared another YouTuber hiding behind scripts."

Fate, cruel as a late-round knockdown, struck again. KSI fell ill days out flu morphing into pneumonia forcing postponement, then outright cancellation by April 6. "So where am I in terms of boxing? I don’t know. Am I going to retire? I don’t know. Am I going to fight again? I don’t know," he vented in a 12-minute YouTube confessional, viewed 4.2 million times, where he dissected the "disaster" of pullouts and politics. Misfits scrambled: Misfits 21 shifted to Till vs. Stewart (cruiserweight KO clinic, 450K buys), while KSI retreated to rehab. By summer, X buzzed with alternatives AnEsonGib plotting "ideal" foes like Amir Khan or Floyd Mayweather for a 2025 splash. "KSI vs. Mayweather? That's fireworks," Gib told DAZN. KSI, eyeing legacy, floated: "Big, huge superfights... to excite myself."

The year wasn't barren, though. KSI cornered for Sidemen Racing's February Hope Match (£1 million raised for charity) and judged Britain's Got Talent in March, drawing 8.5 million viewers. Ballers League's March 3 launch his 3v3 basketball venture averaged 2 million streams, while the Sidemen Charity Match on March 8 packed Wembley with 90,000 (£4 million haul). Music and media filled gaps: "Dirty" video dropped in TBA slots, teasing an EP with features from Aitch and Central Cee. And Netflix's "Sidemen Inside"? Six episodes chronicling their empire, with KSI's arc "From Diss Tracks to PPV Kings" hitting 20 million global watches. "2025 is definitely going to be a year where people will be seeing me all the time," he promised DAZN. "Whether it’s music, whether it’s boxing, whether it’s YouTube... I’m going to be everywhere."

But boxing's siren call persists. In July, KSI revealed surgery healed his hand but scarred his resolve: "Progress since Misfits? Okay. Camp from May 2026 once it's 100%." November's PunchinPod echoed: "Won't rush recovery." Mams Taylor, Misfits co-founder, confirmed talks for six opponents Khan, Mayweather, even Jake Paul rematch whispers targeting early 2026. "KSI's list is stacked; it's about timing now," Taylor said on a November Space, projecting 1.5 million buys for his return. Jake Paul, 12-1 and climbing, needled on Netflix: "KSI won't step up too scared after Fury." KSI clapped back in a Sidemen pod: "Props to Jake for Joshua, but he'd duck me."

As December's chill grips London, KSI's 2025 tallies no wins, but £15 million in non-fight revenue and Misfits' 22% growth under Tate's shadow. Retirement? Unlikely his 25 million X followers crave the chaos, and at 4-1, he's unbeaten in spirit. Expect 2026: A June superfight, perhaps Khan in Manchester (200-pound limit, eight rounds), KO in four (his 75% clip says yes). "The reason I fight is to entertain myself," KSI mused. 2025 was the intermission; the encore looms. In crossover's carnival, the Jester always returns smirking, swinging, unstoppable.