Jake Paul may now face new competition, as livestreamer and internet personality iShowSpeed (Darren Jason Watkins Jr.) recently stepped into the boxing ring. During his Africa tour, Watkins Jr. shared the ring with a professional boxer, which ignited buzz across social media.

Last month, IShowSpeed began a 28-day tour across Africa. His project, titled “Speed Does Africa,” started on December 29 last year. He traveled to nearly 20 countries in the continent, including Algeria and Benin. However, he recently stopped in Ghana, where he decided to step inside a boxing ring.

A social media page later shared footage from the moment, captioning the post: “IShowSpeed just stepped in the ring with a pro boxer in Ghana and put on a show in front of thousands of fans who came out to watch 👀🥊⭐️ (Via @ishowspeed).”

In the short clips circulating online, IShowSpeed showed solid physical shape, but his boxing fundamentals drew scrutiny. He repeatedly dropped his hands and showed limited defensive awareness, while his opponent appeared to hold back rather than throw serious shots. Even so, the video spread rapidly and became a major online talking point.

IShowSpeed’s boxing attempt draws mixed reactions from fans

After watching IShowSpeed stepping into the ring in Ghana, fans reacted to the influencer in an actual fight. “My son is so athletic,” one fan commented. While he’s no Jake Paul, some viewers are already speculating that he could take on former kickboxer and internet personality Andrew Tate. Interestingly, Tate lost to Chase DeMoor by decision just last month, raising questions about his boxing chops.

The fight against the pro boxer exposed IShowSpeed’s inexperience. In the clip, he dropped his hands and left his guard wide open. “Speed is asking to get knocked out with the right hand down wtf is that,” a fan questioned, though his opponent held back and avoided landing serious shots. The bout ended up feeling more like entertainment than a serious fight.

With that said, fans have previously praised his athletic skills on multiple occasions. He once turned heads by winning a 50m race against Olympian Noah Lyles during an event with a $100,000 prize. Combat sports still draw him in—he previously sparred with Dan Hooker and trained with Israel Adesanya in Auckland during his Australia-New Zealand tour last November.

Also, last year, all this caught the eye of Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, who offered IShowSpeed a potential fight against Paul. But after seeing the streamer’s recent boxing skills, fans were shook, with one saying, “My dawg speed be doing the most random s–t.” Jake Paul, meanwhile, has been stacking his resume, including a fight against Anthony Joshua last year. Even with the loss, he’s still impressing fans.

While it’s still unclear if IShowSpeed plans to face serious contenders, his latest bout didn’t really land with fans. “Show????2 punches only to the air,” one fan remarked. But whether this latest boxing stunt was just for clout or not, he’s already made waves with fans across Africa.

His journey now wraps up in Namibia, after kicking off in Angola. What’s your take on IShowSpeed’s latest boxing skills? Do you think his potential fight against Jake Paul could draw more attention than ever? Drop your thoughts below.