Misfits Boxing co-founder Mams Taylor stated Monday the controversial news of Andrew Tate replacing KSI as the new CEO of Misfits Boxing is indeed real and defended his decision to bring Tate into the company. Tate is also expected to compete for the promotion, starting with an exhibition boxing match opposite Chase DeMoor atop the Misfit Mania card on Dec. 20 in Dubai.
“I spoke to him, and we had a very honest, genuine conversation about it,” Taylor said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I just think almost all the charges have been dismissed, nothing concrete has ever come out. So there’s a point where you — it’s combat sports, first of all. Mike Tyson was on Netflix, and I don’t believe Mike did the things that he was accused of, but he was convicted. Andrew hasn’t been convicted of anything.
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“To me, there’s so much stuff on social media, so many accusations and so much AI, so much whatever else. My job is to provide an entertainment platform with action, with real fights. That’s it. Obviously, I don’t want to platform anyone I think is a truly evil person or anything like that. I just don’t think any of those things are true about him.”
Rumblings around a Tate appearance in Misfits first surfaced in August. Now that the partnership is official, Misfits is once again coming under fire as, contrary to Taylor’s claims, Tate remains embroiled in legal issues stemming from sexual assault charges in multiple countries. In 2024, Tate and his brother, Tristan, were accused of rape and human trafficking, resulting in a house arrest in Romania. Tate traveled to the United States after his house arrest ended in February, which led to additional accusations of physical and sexual abuse. A civil complaint was filed in California the following month.
Accusations of sexual assault have also come in the U.K. for Andrew Tate, as he’s also had assets seized in the country for a separate tax evasion case. A large majority of Tate’s online persona revolves around an “alpha male mentality” that highlights proud misogyny and sexism. In addition to the noted legal issues, Tate has numerous ongoing criminal and civil cases unfolding in at least three different countries.
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Taylor on Monday repeatedly defended Misfits Boxing’s decision to bring in Tate not only a high-profile role, but also for what Taylor stated to be a multi-fight deal. The DeMoor match will be Tate’s first fight in what appears to be at least 10 years — Tate has claimed to hold a 76-9-1 kickboxing record, however online record-keepers such as Sherdog Fight Finder have only confirmed Tate to hold a 24-8 record.
When Tate’s potential participation with Misfits was first reported, the expectation was for it to be in a fight against UFC veteran Darren Till. The one-time UFC title contender has found new life in boxing after parting ways with the MMA leader in 2023, as Till is unbeaten in four boxing matches post-UFC.
Taylor said Till is unlikely to compete at Misfits Mania and is more likely to appear in a match on the promotion’s follow-up card.
“Andrew also brought up Darren Till as a possibility, and I said, ‘Let’s wait for that and not rush it,'” Taylor said. “Because, A, Chase has been a company man. He deserves his flowers and he is the heavyweight champ. B, for Andrew, I think as a businessman, being quite frank with you, I’m building Darren up. I know Darren’s very established in the MMA world, but he’s really become a superstar in the world of Misfits as well. So we’ve been building that up and he’s a guy who’s a potential massive pay-per-view seller with some of the cards that we’ve got on.
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“I want to give people the fights they want to see, but timing is very important on that. … One of them would have to lose [if they fought], and that’s all there is to it.”
For Tate to enter the role as Misfits Boxing’s CEO, he’d have to replace the previous holder of that title: KSI, also known as Olajide “JJ” Olatunji, who co-founded the brand with Taylor. KSI has repeatedly expressed anger at the news on social media since Thursday’s announcement. Despite the disagreements between both parties, KSI isn’t completely detached from Misfits and is still managed by Taylor. KSI will simply no longer be as involved with Misfits Boxing as he was previously, said Taylor.
“I guess you could say it’s a work from my end because it’s what needed to happen for the business. Was KSI happy about it? Absolutely not,” Taylor said. “It’s complicated because it’s real, but it’s something when, I began speaking to Andrew, I was like this is the way we can introduce this and make it work. In that regard, it’s as real as it can be.
“KSI has his equity, he’s an equity partner, but I don’t think he’s suited for the CEO role right now — his focus is on a lot of other things. … I want him to have fun with what he’s doing, and if and when he gets motivated to fight again, then that’s a different conversation. For Andrew, this is a perfect role.
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“Without saying too much, KSI wasn’t happy about it when he found out,” Taylor added. “This is obviously going to be a bump in the road, but I think it’s going to be in the greater good of the company.”
