Los Angeles (AFP)

British Youtubeur KSI won Saturday's Los Angeles match-up with the Internet's stars by beating American Logan Paul in a boxing match that was both profitable and rewarding for both men.

Olajide William Olatunji, his real name, has 20.5 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and almost 5 billion views. Aged 26, he completed his panoply with success in the song and now in professional boxing.

He faced Saturday for the second time the American Logan Paul, 24 years old and controversial star of the video exchange platform, with nearly 20 million subscribers and 4.6 billion views.

The first fight, played by fans in August 2018 in Manchester, England, ended in a draw after six rounds. Their performance, lambasted by the experts of the noble art, had been a success of audience and recipes.

For the revenge, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, both Youtubeurs had a professional license, and each received a $ 900,000 scholarship.

KSI narrowly prevailed - just one point ahead - after six rounds, a controversial victory as Logan Paul was awarded two penalty points for a low blow.

The Briton dismissed the idea of ​​a beautiful. "It's over, I move on," he said after the fight, while Logan Paul assured that it would be seen "in a ring".

The DAZN streaming platform, which aired the fight, did not reveal its audience figures, but its executive vice president Joseph Markowski hailed "a great success".

The fight "has generated a significant increase in subscriptions, attracted the interest of major media and made boxing a completely new audience," he told AFP.

The experts of noble art have less appreciated.

"When did boxing become this joke?" Asked former Mexican-American professional Abner Mares on Twitter, denouncing the number of "illegal strikes" that could have resulted in injuries.

"After KSIvsLoganPaul2, who wants Justin Bieber vs. Zac Efron for the Disney title?", Joked former European super welterweight champion Ryan Rhodes.

2000 Olympic super heavyweight champion Audley Harrison, however, hailed the two boxers who "have improved a lot" since their first fight.

KSI is used to firing accounts. Before challenging Logan Paul, he beat another British Youtubeur in a ring in February 2018 for the unofficial British title of the YouTubers.

© 2019 AFP