YouTube star KSI's new opponent Luis Pineda started the mind games early this week, donning a jersey with the name "Paul" on the back for his open workout.
Pineda has been drafted in at short notice to face KSI in the main event of his boxing return at The O2 arena in London. The social media sensation facing rapper Swarmz in the night's opening bout before moving forward to the main event where he faces 2-5 professional boxer Pineda.
And knowing KSI is ultimately looking to face long-time rival Jake Paul to end his boxing journey, Pineda donned a shirt with his enemy's name on the back. He arrived for the workout in a Los Angeles Clippers jersey from when Chris Paul played for the NBA team between 2011 and 2017.
Pineda himself is also keen to earn a bout with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, and believes that KSI will be the first step towards that. He has a losing record as a professional and hasn't won since 2017, before KSI or Paul were in the sport, but is a legitimate professional boxer in his home country, and represents the first fighter with a professional win that either man has faced.
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"I feel very good, I've come a long way from Mexico," Pineda told KSI's former coach Viddal Riley in an interview for his Ril and Wills podcast channel after the workout. "I am very prepared, I had stopped training for about a week but when I got the challenge I started training right away.
"KSI is a YouTuber so I don't know what type of form he will come out with on Saturday night, but I'm confident that I can answer any challenge on Saturday. I'm very prepared and I'm ready to fight on Saturday night. If they give me the opportunity, I am willing to fight Jake Paul."
Before concerning himself with the challenge of Pineda, KSI will first have to first get through the challenge presented by the debuting Swarmz. The pair have a feud of sorts dating back to when they recorded the top 10 single 'Houdini' in 2020, when Swarmz apparently was unprofessional during appearances to promote the song, which at the time was KSI's biggest hit to date.
