Will KSI vs. Swarmz be a professional boxing match?

YouTuber Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji, better known as KSI, will make his return to the ring on August 27 against Brandon Scott, a.k.a. Swarmz, on DAZN PPV. The match will be a professional bout sanctioned by the Professional Boxing Association.

Fans had questioned whether Swarmz would get a professional boxing license. The rap artist reportedly started learning how to box two weeks prior to the fight — regardless of the validity of this statement, he has no prior boxing experience. Before yesterday, no clips even existed of Swarmz training, let alone actually competing.

Bouts in the United Kingdom are generally licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control.

On their website, the BBBoC lists the requirements to be licensed as:

“The Board may grant a licence to boxers who have no or only limited amateur experience, but before doing so they will want to know that they have had proper and good tuition for some period of time under the supervision of a professional trainer, and without exception, the applicant will be required to demonstrate his/her skills in a gym assessment prior to further consideration.”

However, according to Mams Taylor, the manager of KSI, the bout will be organized by a different sanctioning body: The Professional Boxing Association.

As such the bout will take place without headguards ,and will be contested in 3 minute rounds

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KSI Vs. Swarmz is licensed by the PBA

According to their website, the PBA license only applies to non-pro, white collar, and semi-pro boxing. However, the body is also the UK and Ireland representative for the Bund Deutscher Faustkämpfer (BDF). The BDF can provide professional licenses to bouts, and by working with the PDA, fighters can obtain a BDF license.

The PDA website does not list any assessment of boxing skills or any boxing skill requirements to license a fighter for BDF licenses. In terms of requirements for a license, it appears as if fighters must pay £35 one-time fee and a £50 annual fee.

In addition, fighters must undergo a medical examination in order to be granted a license to fight. The medical examination includes analysis of the fighters' central nervous system, respiratory system, skeletal system, vision, and much more.Only if the fighter fulfills the requirements of the medical examination will they be granted a license.

Given these non-boxing-related requirements, it becomes much easier to understand how Swarmz was granted professional licensure for his bout against KSI.

Check out this video posted by Misfits Boxing prior to the bout: