Tommy Fury claims points victory over YouTube star KSI

Tommy Fury once more overcame the challenge of a game YouTube fighter by claiming a majority decision win over KSI in a scrappy cruiserweight headliner at a packed-out AO Arena in Manchester.

Fury has concentrated on lucrative crossover contests in recent months, seeing off Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia in February and now dispatching British foe KSI to extend his record to 10-0 as a professional.

With brother Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, at ringside, Fury landed several eye-catching blows but the bout underlined the relative novice status of both combatants with multiple clinches.

Despite being docked a point for repeatedly punching to the back of KSI’s head while on the inside, Fury was given the nod 57-56 by two judges with a third scoring the contest 57-57 after six rounds.

KSI has built a substantial following on his YouTube page, becoming a successful entrepreneur and musician, while his Misfits promotion has sharply divided opinion between those upbeat about the fresh audiences being brought in and those who view the antics between raw fighters as an affront to boxing.

The build-up to the card has verged on farcical with unseemly insults flying amid the occasional brawl, which would have drawn short shrift with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC). Instead its jurisdiction falls under the umbrella of the Professional Boxing Association.

The upsides were evident from the first bell of the evening with few spare seats to be seen and those that were vacant filled up long before Fury’s entrance after 11.30pm to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

KSI, who came into the arena in a green Lamborghini alongside rapper Giggs, might have been the away fighter but his fans roared in support when he landed a solid