Wade Plem Exclusively Speaks To NoSmokeBoxing About All Things Influencer Boxing
Wade Plem has become a safe pair of hands go boxing broadcasters. A reliable anchor, who can navigate the choppy seas of influencers vying for fights and doing anything at their disposal to get them. Wade is knowledgeable on the scene he is involved in, and has a throwback professional punditry manner.
He admits he was drawn into Youtuber boxing by seeing how ‘Logan Paul and KSI took the sport seriously’ and proved that two amateurs trading leather in front of their adoring fans can be a ‘spectator sport.’ He certainly had a prescient understanding of the marketability crossover stars fighting can attract, while clearly being reassured that participants do ‘train hard’ and engage with the preparation required.
Nonetheless, he admits he was ‘surprised by their improvement in the sport’. It’s one thing to realise that Logan and KSI can dedicate themselves for one camp, but to witness technical developments in Youtubers’ ring craft clearly shocked Wade.
However, Wade does place his astonishment in the context of the general reaction to the meteoric rise of crossover boxing. ‘If you told people we’d be here four years later, I think EVERYONE would be surprised’. The initial sub-section niche has grown into a behemoth with regular shows and breaking news. Wade is at the centre of that and knew the combatants in the first rivalry could make it work, but the speed at which it’s grown is something not he nor anyone could anticipate.
One thing that can be anticipated, is that it will always create viral moments, given the cognisance of its stars in how to create short-form content and make a name for themselves. Wade again shows his awareness of the world he finds himself in, albeit reflecting on the KSI Dilon Danis altercation from a more wider perspective of combat sport tensions.
‘It was a mad scene, but all in all, it is the fight game, what more do you expect’.
Perhaps therein lies the crucial explanation for why influencer boxers continue to come in constant waves and be willing to risk their lives of comfort and safety for a sport so unforgiving and brutal. They know there’s always going to be the chance to be in the spotlight and make social media headlines. Wade admits was ‘in the moment’ when all hell broke loose in Texas and trying to avoid a premature clash between KSI and Danis, who meet next year in January.
Wade will once again be returning to these shores. When I went to Leicester Square to see Wade during KSI fight week, he goofed around with unknowing Londoners about whether they’d heard of his show, the Wade concept to a pretty muted reaction (Not to disrespect of course, Wade still took his fair share of selfies from those in the know before and after the stunt). Were he to revisit that idea in January for the latest KSI show, I’d bet the joke would be ruined by a chorus of yeses and obviouslies to the same question.
By Harry Duffy
