Influencer boxing lucrative for creators, but messy for organizers

Free subscriber-exclusive audiobook!“No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below.Moments after the YouTube creator DDG (Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) stepped out into the crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday, he stopped suddenly in his tracks.The 23-year-old performer was on his way to fight TikTok star Nate Wyatt in an influencer boxing match pitting YouTubers against TikTokers in an event dubbed "Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms." But the event organizers were playing the wrong pump-up song, and DDG seemed unwilling to march out to anything besides the track he had selected. A spokesperson for Showtime said the issue occurred after the company received high demand for the live telecast on multiple platforms.And last month, Triller Fight Club, the boxing division of the short-form video app Triller, filed a lawsuit seeking millions in damages and claiming internet users illegally streamed and broadcasted its fight between YouTuber Jake Paul and Ben Askren.While Showtime has been airing boxing matches for decades, both Triller and LiveXLive are relative newcomers to boxing. "I think this is just the beginning, and seeing Jake Paul sign with Showtime fortifies again how big this could be."While it's still early days for social-media boxing, broadcasters like LiveXLive are making multi-million dollar bets that influencers can drive hype and pay-per-view sales for a sport that has struggled to draw in new viewers. "I think boxing needed a kick in the ass, candidly."Companies like LiveXLive are also hoping that influencer boxing events can be about more than fighting. LiveXLive's CEO declined to share data on ticket and PPV sales for "Social Gloves." Triller declined to comment.For influencers bold enough to enter the ring, the paydays can be huge.Hall, who fought in the main event at "Social Gloves," shared a screenshot of his LiveXLive contract on Instagram suggesting he'd receive a baseline of $5 million from the fight.