Logan Paul will launch an official appeal against his split decision defeat to KSI after a two-point penalty cost the American a victory on the cards in their rematch.
Paul was docked two points for hitting KSI on the canvas after knocking down the Englishman in the fourth round during the fight on Nov. 9 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
That penalty eventually cost Paul the fight, losing a split decision on the cards with two judges giving the fight to KSI 57-54 and 56-55 respectively. A third judge gave the fight to Paul 56-55.
Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on YouTube, added he and his team will be filing an official appeal with the Californian State Athletic Commission [CSAC] over the outcome of the bout.
“My team and I have decided to file an official appeal for the fight because we do not believe the outcome was right,” Paul said in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.
“Everyday, I get passed by people, I get phone calls, texts, tagged in some video online that says ‘yo, Logan, you didn’t lose that fight. That was bulls—, the ref made an erroneous call, or it was misinterpreted by the judges. I thought you won the fight,’
“I’ve received a slew of extremely one-sided opinions about the outcome of the fight. Being 100 percent honest with you, I have not heard or seen one comment, not even from KSI’s side or the British fans, that have said the two points was the right call.
“The two points that were deducted from me in round four, let’s say he let me off with a warning, which I think he should have done because he hadn’t given me any prior warnings prior to that, if that had happened I would have won the fight. If the referee deducted only one point for a tap on the back of the head on JJ, it would have been a majority draw, but the two point deduction was the reason I flat out split decision lost the fight.
“I did some research, the last time two points were taken away from a professional fight was over a decade ago, it doesn’t happen a lot. One of the times it happened was when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off and spat it on the floor, which is one of the nastiest things that’s ever happened in boxing, and here I am getting two points deducted from me for a ‘love tap’ that was a heat of the moment. It’s one of those situations where the punishment simply did not match the crime.”
Paul and KSI shook hands in the ring after the fight, seemingly ending their long-running feud. The pair first fought in England last year, fighting out a majority draw in an amateur contest with headguards.
This bout was fought under professional conditions, and Paul hopes his appeal to the CSAC will be taken seriously.
“I truthfully 100 percent believe I did not lose this fight,” Paul added.
“This is a plea to the California State Athletic Commission, I would just hope that you guys give this the weight that I think it deserves because I fear that we aren’t real professional fighters, it may be overlooked, but I know this means a lot to me, my team, my friends and most importantly my fans.
“Even if the outcome doesn’t come back in my favour, please treat it as a normal boxing appeal.”
“I don’t mind losing, especially to JJ, he is a worthy adversary and I can’t wait to see what he does next and I wish him only the greatest success, but if I don’t stand up for something that I feel is right, what kind of f–ing man am I?”