The Kingpyn Boxing 'High Stakes' tournament kicks off at the OVO Arena Wembley when AnEsonGib and Austin McBroom headline a night of first round tournament fights.
Nine bouts will make up the event's star-studded card, with a late-notice wildcard bout between rapper Blueface and Ed Matthews filling out the event along with eight bouts in the men's and women's tournaments. Elle Brooke, King Kenny and other top British social media stars will return to action, with McBroom and Gib the top of the bill.
Standout fights to look forward to include Whindersson Nunes, one of the world's biggest influencers, taking on little-known Filipek in his first round match-up. The returning Jarvis has also put on considerable size, he faces famed DJ Tom Zanetti in another clash that should excite fans.
Here's all you need to know about the Kingpyn tournament opener...
AnEsonGib vs Austin McBroom
It's an hard sell to put Gib against McBroom right away after the dominant showing from the Brit at Social Gloves 2 last year, but that was the draw Kingpyn have been dealt. The American is a basketball standout who stopped Bryce Hall in his boxing debut and appeared to be coasting to another win when he put down Gib in the opening round of their meeting.
But AnEsonGib is nothing if not resilient, and he managed to take advantage of McBroom's inexperience to land a number of knockdowns of his own, completely changing the pace of the fight. By the time referee Jack Reiss waved off the contest, the American had been down five times, and it's unlikely he's had the time to fix the problems he had last time out.
Whindersson Nunes vs Filip Marcinek
Brazilian influencer Whindersson is one of the biggest social media stars on the planet. The musician is a rapper with more social media followers than Jake and Logan Paul combined due to his following in South America, and has sold out major shows in Europe as well with his appeal spanning the entire globe.
He's been boxing since 2019, and took on arguably one of the toughest tests in influencer boxing history when he faced two-weight world champion Acelino Freitas in just his second bout last year. He faces a completly unknown quantity in Filipek, but promoters will be hoping that Whindersson can deliver a big victory and continue on towards the finals.
King Kenny vs My Mate Nate
Thai influencer My Mate Nate has been quiet in the lead-up to his fight with King Kenny, who has been boxing a lot in his debut season. The Brit only fought for the first time in March of last year, but by the end of this tournament in August will have competed seven times, most of which were with 10oz gloves over three-minute rounds.
My Mate Nate has yet to shed the 16oz and the headgear in his three-fight run, but has been training hard in combat sport stronghold phu*ket. He is taking a noted step-up in competition, and will face an angry Kenny who wants to avenge his upset defeat at the hands of Ashley Tebi from Rak-Su back in March that set him back in his development.
This could be fight of the night.
Jarvis vs Tom Zanetti
Hard-hitting Jarvis could cause serious problems for party DJ Zanetti if his power can translate way up in weight from where he last fought Michael Le. Jarvis was 151lb when he faced Le back in 2021 and has spent the last two years learning his craft under the likes of Adam Booth all while packing on 20lb of muscle in the hopes of landing a big win in this tournament.
As for Zanetti, we know that his main skill will be his heart and chin, as well as likely holding a major size advantage over his opponent. He's much more natural at the weight, and will undoubtedly be much, much more powerful of an opponent than Le who caused Jarvis almost no problems, so this will be a fun fight to watch.
Elle Brooke vs Ms Danielka
The major tournament favourite for the women is Elle Brooke, who faces a much bigger opponent in Ms Danielka this time out. She took down a taller girl last time out when she blasted Faith Ordway out in her Misfits Boxing debut, and has become one of the most feared women in influencer boxing.
Brooke is already heading back to Misfits after this tournament, and will want to do so with three more wins under her belt. Danielka will need to have been training like a monster to get past Brooke, who has ambitions of turning her burgeoning influencer career into a world title run in the professional ranks.
Whitney Johns vs 6ar6ie6
There's not a great deal known about many of the women in this tournament when it comes to boxing ability. Fitness influencer Johns should be in tremendous condition, but many factors can affect a boxer on their debut including nerves under the lights and poor preparation from a fight training standpoint.
What we do know is that 6ar6ie6 was in camp for a fight with Jesse 'Fangs' Lannister back in November of last year, and made it all the way to weigh-ins before the fight was pulled due to a visa issue. However, she has likely learned a lot from that experience and should be favoured in this bout as a result.
Emily Brooke vs Amber O’Donnell
Elle Brooke's sister Emily was the surprise fighter in this tournament, and if she's half as good as her sister she should be a big problem for any of the women in this tournament. She takes on Amber O'Donnell in the first round of the tournament and is likely being favoured just due to name value.
They are both models known for their OnlyFans earnings, but have been taking boxing seriously during their preparations. This one could end up being a barn-burner if O'Donnell has done the requisite work in training camp.
Daniella Hemsley vs Jully Poca
It's hard to gauge just how good either of these women will be, with both making their debut in this tournament. Expect a lot of wild swings from the Brit and the Brazilian, in what could be either a very entertaining or a very difficult-to-watch type of show.
Blueface vs Ed Matthews
In the wildcard matchup of the evening we have one of the most exciting and intriguing clashes that influencer boxing has seen in a long time. Rapper Blueface battered Tik Tok star Kane Trujillo in a decision win back in 2021, but issues in his personal life cost him two fights last year against Nick Young and Faze Temperrr.
Ed Matthews, on the other hand, has only a few seconds of experience after blasting out Simple Simon in a farcical mismatch on the oft-forgotten original Kingpyn event at the O2 indigo last summer. He has refused to return to the ring since, but took a short notice fight and looks absolutely shredded heading into this one.
