KSI condemned for using dog as ‘cheap gimmick’ at Logan Paul press conference

The two YouTubers meet in a rematch of their majority draw on 9 November at the Staples Centre

KSI has been condemned for bringing a dog on stage during his UK press conference with Logan Paul.

The two YouTubers meet in a rematch of their majority draw on 9 November at the Staples Centre and the war of words has ramped up.

Both men are promoting the fight and after a fairly tame US press conference, ramped it up with a London one which saw over 4,000 fans in attendance.

When introduced to the stage by True Geordie, KSI walked on holding a pomeranian in a bid to mock his rival, whose dog Kong died earlier this year.

However, it backfired with many criticising the move as cruel, with Paul asking KSI to remove the dog from the stage, which he did shortly after bringing him on.

“A news conference – with its bright lights, loud noises, and crowds – can be stressful enough for humans, let alone small animals, who aren’t inanimate props to be used for a cheap gimmick,” Peta told The Independent.

“Peta encourages fighters to battle it out between themselves – and leave animals out of it.”

KSI announced the name of the dog as ‘King Kong’ in a move to provoke Paul, who was ready on the stage with dog treats, but told the Brit ‘that poor dog is terrified, can we get him off the stage please?’

Eddie Hearn also criticised Paul after the press conference for saying he could "kill" KSI in the ring, imploring the fighter to educate himself on the sport.

“It’s heat of the moment stuff, he shouldn’t of really said that but a lot of other fighters say that as well,” Hearn told The Sportsman.

“I think the way he said it is different to other people if that makes sense. These guys speak in a different sort of language.

“They need to learn about the dangers of the sport because when they walk into that arena on 9 November it’s going to be very dangerous.