Is Jarvis underrated? Influencer Boxing is taking over. From Misfits to Creator Clash and now KingPyn, there are social media stars throwing hands multiple weekends throughout the months. But, who’s the best?
Though it’s hard to pinpoint who is actually the best because, at the end of the day, it’s all a matter of opinion. Some people may say, Jake Paul is a guy who’s fought the likes of Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, and even though he lost, he did test himself against a pro in Tommy Fury. Others would argue that KSI is on top, with an undefeated record and heading into a bout against pro boxer Joe Fournier on May 13th.
Plus, we’ve seen names such as Salt Papi, King Kenny, Slim, Deen The Great, and many others names that get thrown around. But, what if I said that the most underrated is a young bull by the name of Jarvis?
Is Jarvis The Most Underrated Influencer Boxer?
Jarvis has had two boxing bouts, the first he won by brutally knocking out Michael Li in 2021, and the second coming just weeks ago in the first round of the KingPyn tournament when he made Tom Zanetti throw in the towel. At just 2-0, Jarvis has already shown that he’s a problem in the scene. And a lot of that credit has to be given to not only Jarvis for putting in the work but his trainer Otis Pimpleton and everyone at the Mayweather gym.
Jarvis showed his power in his first fight against Michael Li, showing that he has the ability to knock out his opponents. While that is a good trait to have, he showed much more in his second bout against Tom Zanetti. During the live watch, it looked like Jarvis was getting himself into a brawl with Tom and eventually the constant flurrying caught up to Tom and tired him out, causing him to give up and throw in the towel.
But, upon re-watch and slowing the footage down, Jarvis showed off his skills and how much he improved since his first fight. Jarvis was constantly pushing the pace in this fight. Zanetti is the naturally taller fighter with a longer reach. So, Jarvis knew he had to get on the inside. In order to do that, he was going to have to take a few shots to get into his range. He constantly walked forward with his guard up, then when in close, he used great head movement by dipping and ducking under Tom’s shots and came up ripping the body.
Jarvis continued to stay composed, though he himself admitted that he was a bit frustrated in the early goings of the fight, he didn’t let that become a trend. Though Tom Zanetti didn’t go to the body nearly as much as he probably should’ve, Jarvis did show that he’s able to quickly drop his guard to protect the body and then push back up to protect the head on potential countershots.
Not only was the guard on point and the head movement immaculate, but Jarvis’ footwork was also in effect. Being able to slip and slide off to cut corners and still protect himself is something that not a lot of influencer boxers have. Don’t get me wrong, I know they’re not pros. But, with Jarvis sparring and training with arguably the best boxer of all time Floyd Mayweather, he’s bound to pick up these traits that’ll propel him steps ahead of everyone else in the scene.
Another guy that is looked at as a top influencer boxer is Gib. Which so happens to be Jarvis’ next opponent in the semi-finals of the KingPyn tournament. Gib defeated Austin McBroom in the first round after Austin allegedly hurt his ankle and the fight was called. But, this was also not the only time those two fought. In the first contest, Gib knocked out Austin McBroom for the win, but it didn’t come without Gib being knocked down a few times as well.
While Jarvis will have some issues with the power and cardio of Gib, and this by no means is an easy fight, there are a lot of holes in Gib’s game. While Jarvis walks forward with his guard up, Gib really doesn’t. He showed that he didn’t improve much defensively from the first time he fought Austin, to the second. Luckily for Gib, Austin didn’t improve either.
Upon rewatch of the KingPyn fight, Gib walked forward constantly with his guard wide open and his chin right in line for a left hook. Sadly for McBroom, he wasn’t smart enough to counter. Jarvis is. Gib also barely protected the body and with the body shot being one of Jarvis’s favorite punches, Gib will have to work on that body defense.
Gib also has the tendency to wildly scramble out when his opponent gets on the inside. He showed multiple times in his most recent fight that he shoots off to the side with his chin up and guards down. That’s a problem when you’re facing a combination puncher like Jarvis. Especially when Gib often gets out of his stance and stands square with his opponent when he starts to push forward. Something he’d have to work on.
Boxing is a sport of technique. You may be the most powerful puncher, but if you’re walking in with no technique and leave your chin wide open, the fight won’t go so well for you. So, if Gib plans to stand square and throw looping left and rights back and forth with his chin high like he did in the McBroom fight, Jarvis will knock him out.
Jarvis may not have the power of KSI or the experience of Jake Paul, but he has the little things that keep his technique more crisp than some of the other influencer boxers. As an argument of who’s the best being objective, I can’t blame anyone for not having Jarvis as the best influencer boxer, but, he surely should be in the top five. Especially if he beats Gib, and potentially even wins the entire KingPyn tournament, there’s no denying that this kid is a problem and the future of this space.
By: Brady Alexander
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