Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The controversial round four proved costly for Logan Paul.
KSI (1-0, 0 KOs) got the better of Logan Paul (0-1, 0 KOs) in Saturday’s massive YouTube celebrity main event at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The two fought to a draw under amateur rules last year, but this year KSI edged out Logan Paul via split decision.
In this six-round affair, the major turning point proved to be Logan Paul’s knockdown of KSI in the fourth round. KSI was hit while his head was being held, and then he was hit while he was down, which is a no-no. Referee Jack Reiss counted the knockdown but then docked two points from Paul, which essentially cost Paul the fight based off the scores.
The scorecards for tonight’s Main Event #KSILoganPaul2 pic.twitter.com/XPsoOCt0Q2
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) November 10, 2019
Lou Moret gave both men three rounds apiece, but the points lost meant he scored it for KSI. Zachary Young had Paul winning four rounds, while Pat Russell scored four rounds in KSI’s favor. Had Paul not fouled on the knockdown, he would’ve won on points and not KSI. Alternatively, if Reiss had just docked one point, it would’ve ended in a draw.
That said, Reiss appeared to miss a knockdown of Logan Paul in round three, which would’ve turned a unanimous 10-9 into a 10-8 for KSI, so it was not a fine hour of officiating for the veteran referee.