The Phenomenon of Celebrity Boxing Duels and Sportainment Going Viral, Here’s Why the Public is Interested

The buzz around Jefri Nichol challenging a rematch with El Rumi has intensified the hype around celebrity boxing in the eyes of the public. Previously in 2023, El Rumi won against Jefri Nichol, and it seems that sparked Jefri's curiosity for a rematch.

It turns out that the first major initiator at that time was Raffi Ahmad vs Mario Lawalata who fought on April 17, 2011, at Hall D, Jakarta International Kemayoran (PRJ Kemayoran). The match result: a tie 29–29 on all three judges' cards. Although held as the opening match, both were able to provide entertainment and freshness amid the professional boxing event.

The trend of artists fighting in the ring was also echoed at the Holywings Sport Show (2022) with the term "celebrity fight," where artists like Dinar Candy vs Nikita Mirzani began to attract attention.

Some boxing matches that were quite sensational and went viral known to the public are the duel Raffi vs Mario (2011), El Rumi Jefri vs Nichol (2023), El Rumi vs Winson Reynaldi (2022), Nikita Mirzani vs Dinar Candy (2022), Azka Corbuzier vs Vicky Prasetyo (2023), Adhisty Zara Vs Lula Lahfah (2023).

The popularity of celebrity boxing has then sparked even more sportainment such as Suddenly Tennis and Even Volleyball by VINDES, Celebrity Football/Fun Match, Celebrity Basketball, E-Sports & Game Streaming, and even the Indonesian Celebrity Sports Tournament (TOSI) which has entered Season 3 this year.

However, there is a history that emerged before Celebrity Boxing in Indonesia, namely the duel between Danny Bonaduce and Donny Osmond. Although intended as a promotional event, this duel attracted high ratings and opened the eyes of the entertainment industry that celebrities could create an alternative sports spectacle that greatly interests the public. This match later became the initial foundation of the celebrity boxing concept, even though it was not yet phenomenal at that time.

The public's enthusiasm is always high when involving the names of big public figures. Celebrity boxing presents a blend of serious sports and dramatic entertainment of duels in the ring with a psychodrama style like reality shows. Not to mention the gimmicks like trash talk, press conferences, and teaser content shows on social media create a huge hype.