- Gib took on Slim in the main event of the night and won on judges’ scorecards
- He was returning to the ring for the first time since July 2023, fighting in Qatar
- KSI had predicted Gib would lose the fight and was mocked in press conference
AnEsonGib marked his return to the ring with a dominant victory over Slim Albaher in the influencers’ Misfits 19 clash on Thursday night.
Gib, who was one of Jake Paul’s first-ever opponents, with his only defeat coming to the Problem Child, hasn’t fought since July 2023, when he beat fellow influencer Jarvis at the KingPyn Tournament.
But while he is ranked as one of the better influencer boxers, he faced an unbeaten Slim in Qatar, with Albaher boasting a record of seven wins and one defeat going into the bout.
Their rivalry was at times heated in the build-up, with both men exchanging some firm words on occasion but also remaining respectful at other times.
Over eight rounds, Gib was awarded the win by two of the judges, who scored it 78-74 and 79-73 in his favour. The third, controversially, scored it 76 apiece. Gib won the Misfits middleweight championship with the victory.
In the ring after the fight, Gib said on the microphone: ‘Form meme to the best. I’m the best fighter in influencer boxing.
‘I’ve taken out three promotions and I’m happy to be the Misfits champion. He was a great opponent, 7-0, good boxing ability and a great team. He made me train hard and it was a great fight.’
The ‘meme’ reference refereed to how he was mocked when he was beaten by Paul four years ago. Favourite to win going into the fight, Gib squatted regularly during rounds and was dominated and eventually stopped.
That led to people online comparing him to a crab on a number of occasions, though he was must more settled here, landing regular blows on his opponent.
No one was really rocked at any point in the fight, and Slim himself appeared to think he had won at the final bell. The victory, though, went to Gib, before Misfits CEO KSI got in the ring.
He appeared to suggest he would fight the winner of Tommy Fury and Darren Till next, which will take place on Misfits on January 18.
KSI was due to step inside the ring this summer for the first time since he lost against Fury in October last year. He was set to take on both Slim and Anthony Taylor, but pulled out due to injury.
He had predicted Slim would knock out Gib, and his head dropped in the post-fight press conference as Gib arrived to speak to the media.
When asked about KSI’s prediction post-fight, Gib said: ‘They said it would be a mismatch, I smoked him. We took their belt, this will be a nice door stop.’
KSI added: ‘Fair play brother.’
