KSI confirms Slim and Anthony Taylor fight is off - but many aren't that bothered

After days of speculation and rumours, rapper, YouTube content creator and boxer KSI (real name Olajide “JJ” Olatunji) has confirmed that his fight against both Sulieman “Slim” Albaher and Anthony Taylor on 31 August in Dublin has been cancelled due to his suffering an undisclosed “injury”.

Rumours around the fate of the 17th Misfits Boxing event spread after promotional posters and tweets were reportedly deleted from social media accounts associated with the event, and Albaher released a video on Monday titled “My Fight with KSI is Cancelled”.

In the five-minute video, Albaher branded KSI “disrespectful” for acting like “nothing is going on” on social media.

He said: “Imagine just chasing a fight for years, finally getting the opportunity, doing a whole press conference, face off, going to England, training your ass off for weeks, missing your whole New York City beautiful summer, just for it to fall on your face like that?”

Well, confirmation as to the future of the fight came from KSI himself on Thursday afternoon, when the Sidemen member said the bout it “off” due to his “battling with an injury” since he began training for the event.

“Unfortunately this has worsened during camp which is why you haven’t seen my usual enthusiasm. Despite my best efforts to push through the pain, it has reached a point where I can no longer spar or even hit pads or do bag work. On my doctor’s orders, I have been advised to withdraw from Misfits 017 at the 3Arena in Dublin on August 31st,” he said.

In the lengthy statement on Twitter/X, KSI added he will be “back” to fighting “soon” and apologised to fans, Albaher and Taylor, as well as “everyone involved who might feel let down by this decision”.

He continued: “The event will still go ahead! Misfits 017 marks our two-year anniversary, so we’ll make sure it’s special. In addition to the fights, I’ll be commentating and performing some of my new songs with some exciting surprises.”

The “Holiday” singer said anyone who is unhappy with KSI’s new role in the event can request refunds via their point of purchase, with Misfits adding they are available to ticket holders until next Thursday.

“I can’t wait to see you there and celebrate this special occasion together! Thank you for your understanding and continued support,” he concluded.

However, many weren’t interested in the detailed statement, with people responding that they weren’t “reading all that” and asking for it to be summarised “in one sentence":

Meanwhile Taylor was praised for his response to the statement in a now-deleted X/Twitter post, in which he said he wished his former opponent “[nothing] but good health”.

Albaher is yet to comment publicly on the news.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.