When I was younger, just the name “Manny Pacquiao” could bring my entire country to a standstill. A Filipino boxer who is the only eight-division world champion in the history of the sport, whenever Pacquiao had a match — especially if it was against fellow big names such as Mayweather, Marquez, or Cotto — the whole Philippines watched. There would be no cars on the streets; every Filipino would gather at home, or in restaurants and bars, their eyes glued to the biggest screen available, cheering in unison every time Manny landed a punch, groaning all at once if he missed.

Those days are long gone; Pacquiao has since retired, now relegated to fighting exhibition matches (his most recent was against South Korean martial artist and YouTuber DK Yoo in December 2022). A new generation of Filipinos, though they may be familiar with Pacquiao’s name, had never seen him at his prime; they likely only know him as a legendary boxer who went on to pursue a political career and a failed presidential candidacy. Boxing once held the country together. Now, it can no longer keep up with more “marketable” sports like basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

However, in the last few years, the rise of “influencer boxing” and “crossover boxing” has once again made the sport relevant. Both involve people with non-boxing backgrounds competing in boxing matches: “influencer boxing” is limited to Internet celebrities such as YouTubers, streamers, and TikTokers, while “crossover boxing” also generally includes fighters across different disciplines like mixed martial arts and wrestling. In any case, there has been a sudden growth in demand (and supply) for boxing matches involving non-professionals, such as the brothers Jake and Logan Paul and English Internet personality KSI.

Initially, I was horrified at this development. It’s not real boxing! The likes of Pacquiao worked their way up for decades, proving their worth in match after match before they could become world-renowned boxers. Meanwhile, these Internet personalities have essentially cut in line, placing themselves in the spotlight without putting in as much hard work and time. This could not possibly be good for the sport, I thought.

That is, until I saw how much enthusiasm it has drummed up for boxing in a newer generation. Often, we lament that “kids these days” no longer consume media in the same way we do. Ten or twenty years ago, the media was much more centralized; we all watched the same thing — whatever was on TV. Nowadays, the media has become democratized: the younger generation has a plethora of choices in the content they consume through platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming sites. Before influencer boxing, the youth showed little interest in the sport. Now, the online influencers they follow have brought boxing to them — breathing new life into a previously dying sport.

Crossover boxing has even breathed new life into the careers of professional boxers. As I previously mentioned, Pacquiao himself has entered the world of crossover boxing, keeping his name relevant to the younger generation who never saw him at his peak. Even the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. has fought in exhibition matches with Logan Paul and YouTuber Deji Olatunji. If these professionals have no problem bringing influencers into the game to bring more eyes — and money — into the sport, why should we? Boxing, after all, is not just a sport — it is an industry. These influencer boxing matches often have audiences and sales that are comparable to, if not more than, professional matches; the difference is that these audiences are younger and newer. They can sustain the sport for years to come, and this money will support aspiring professional boxers who finally see a future in the sport.

Those who still oppose the spread of influencer boxing are likely to bring up the fact that these Internet personalities are only using these matches to earn money and fame. These naysayers forget that even professional boxers aren’t immune to these temptations (can anyone really say that Mayweather never did it for fame and fortune?). There are real concerns: about the promotion of violence, about the preservation of sportsmanship and tradition, and about the exploitative financial practices of the industry. These are concerns worth discussing, but they do not make the popularity of influencer boxing worth dismissing. For a sport to stand the test of time, it must learn to change with time — in influencer and crossover boxing, this sport has found a way to roll with the punches and stay in the ring.