Did Salt Papi have an amateur boxing career? Know all about the YouTuber's journey

Salt Papi (real name Nathaniel Bustamante) is a 29-year-old Filipino-English social media star. His success story is one of the most amazing in the rapidly growing realm of influencer boxing.

The TikTok sensation is gearing up to go head-to-head with Slim Albaher in a five-round boxing showdown set for October 14 at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, within the undercard of Misfits X DAZN: The Prime Card.

Before his rise in the boxing world, Salt Papi worked as a nurse and gained notoriety for his viral dance and fake running videos on social media. This was all before his victorious debut against Halal Ham in March 2022. Subsequently, he made a significant impact in the influencer boxing scene, delivering a knockout victory against streamer Andy Warski and achieving a career-defining stoppage win over MMA fighter and YouTuber Josh Brueckner in January.

Fans started speculating that 'Busta Breezie' might have pursued amateur boxing in the Philippines before relocating to the UK as a teenager. However, during an interview with Mirror Fighting, Salt Papi refuted these allegations.

"Growing up I'd always been a fan of boxing," said Papi. "Manny Pacquiao is like the biggest superstar in the Philippines and he's the one that everyone wants to be like. But I never had access to a boxing gym, I never really trained like that, most of the time I was copying [Pacquiao] if I had a few street fights back in school growing up. The only time I had access to a proper boxing gym was last year [2022]."

Salt Papi holds a 3-1 boxing record and most recently faced a unanimous decision defeat to Anthony Taylor in May.

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Salt Papi reflects on his weight loss journey

Salt Papi has embarked on a remarkable fitness and boxing journey. He committed himself to a significant body transformation in order to seize the opportunity to compete for Misfits Boxing.

In a recent episode of Misfits Boxing's new series, 'Busta Breezie' shared the beginnings of his journey and the factors that propelled his boxing career forward. The TikTok star disclosed that he has shed approximately 30 pounds since his debut fight:

"I just wanted to lose weight really. That’s how it started and from there, I saw progress, good progress and I just got obsessed. I wanted to keep losing weight, I wanted to be healthier. Now I’m here. I probably lost about 30 pounds altogether since I started boxing."

Check out Papi's comments below: