Over the last few years, the concept of "Influencer Boxing" has been gaining immense popularity and consequently raked in significant profits. While one cannot deny the importance of a substantial audience for any non-paid-labor-based industry, the emphasis being put on money upends the essence of sports, or so it seems. Of course, sports industries mix with entertainment naturally, but for a reason: the spectacle of excellence and competition. However, audiences seem to have very mixed opinions. In the context of celebrity boxing in light of recent fights between known figures in boxing and YouTubers-turned-boxers, numerous issues are being brought up that need addressing.

The boxing community — amateurs, professionals, and other interested parties alike — point out that YouTubers skip to the top of the staircase, where they don’t deserve to be as they did not climb it from the bottom. Not every world champion beats every competitor in the world nor everyone in their weight category bracket; however, this argument is brought up by those who favor individual fighters when they don't get to fight for the title of champion. Even when it comes to prodigies, some people believe they are undeserving of the title. In any case, the circumstances for YouTubers are different — they typically haven't fought amateurly before starting their professional record nor have started training for a particular fight rather than to fight people on their level. This could probably be disregarded since the pros would wipe the floor with the newbies, but at the end of the day, all it takes to win a fight is one lucky punch. Does just anyone deserve this chance? Isn't excellence about consistency?

This disparity or discrimination caused by influencer boxers is not only disrespectful to experienced contestants regarding money but also to the sport itself. If one judges an industry based on their first experience of it and as that experience typically ends up being the loudest one available, what impression will young viewers get from a celebrity match? Wouldn't that teach the wrong lesson? "Son, the guy in the red corner is actually not a boxer; he is popular and just bought his way through to the champion." Sure, it would be a realistic lesson but a rather cynical one. Furthermore, there wouldn't be refined skills showcased nor would there be decent sportsmanship based on opponents acknowledging each others' competency. Even if one of the opponents is an established or even retired athlete in the sport, is it shameful to be accidentally knocked out by a rookie as a professional? What will that do to their legacy? Or to their image in the eyes of a new generation that hasn't witnessed their prime fights?

In team sports, like soccer, basketball, or football, athletes get paid ridiculous salaries that are much determined by their combination of skills and popularity for royalties, so the issue does not lie in the money. The issue lies in the way athletes qualify for a chance in the big leagues, and what competition is really about. A true champion is not someone who one-ups the previous one, it's someone who one-ups everyone and does so consistently. Of course, it doesn't mean that a boxer needs to beat everyone in their weight class having been training and fighting for decades — but the matter of challenging the top fighters is a matter of respect and competency, not money or fame.

Perhaps it's all just a temporary boom in the way we prioritize what we dedicate our time to, further reinforced by the now-predominant ability to monetize our attention. Or maybe it's a complete systematic turnover of what we will continue to pursue as a society, similar to how firefighters get paid fractions of what professional athletes do: money over meaning. On the bright side, however, people seem to notice that these "exhibition" fights are not a fair bang for the buck, expressing that they feel robbed after purchasing a pay-per-view or attending the match in person. Such audiences sometimes don't return for the next match — possibly proving that the hype is temporary and unfulfilling, simply not living up to the expectations of boxing.