Athlete, businessman, father, and philanthropist – Badou Jack is more than just the top fighter of his division.
The former WBC super-middleweight & WBA Light Heavyweight champion understands the power of social media, and why it’s important for athletes to leverage it when connecting with their fans.
“It helps build interest for [upcoming] fights and to promote the event, as well as gain attraction from our fan base,” Badou said. “Our fans love to see what we do on a daily basis and social media is the solution for that.”
While he admits that he does have some help from his team when it comes to managing his accounts, Badou very involved with posting and interacting directly with his audience on Instagram.
“Social media is king,” Amer Abdallah, Badou’s manager and business partner, said to ITP Live. “We just witnessed two non-fighters put more people in an arena to watch a fight than ninety-five percent of today’s professionals.”
He’s referring to the recent white-collar boxing match between YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul. The fight took place on Aug. 25 at the Manchester Arena in the UK and was dubbed one of the biggest events in YouTube history.
According to Abdallah, the two video creators generated more revenue than ninety-nine percent of the professionals.
Not bad for two kids who have made a career off uploading videos to the internet.
Badou was asked to walk KSI into the ring and applaud the British vlogger for being able to take up boxing in a short period of time – and then perform in front of a massive crowd for six consecutive rounds.
“It’s not easy to box in front of a crowd that big, so early in your career, and to perform,” he said.
In addition to his career as a professional boxer, Badou is the co-founder of Ripper Nutrition and has recently started The Badou Jack Foundation.
“After each of my fights, I enjoy giving back to the less fortunate,” Badou said.
“I often visit my native Gambia to help with food, supplies, clothing and utilities. We are starting the foundation with the Syrian Refugees who have been displaced from their homes and will expand our reach from there.”
The foundation “gives children across the globe a fighting chance in life” and Ripper Nutrition helps to provide protein-fortified, meal replacement shakes to aid in supporting the health and development of children displaced in regions of conflict.
So, what’s next?
Badou recently signed with ITP Live for exclusive social media representation within the Middle East.
Aside from working on finalizing a big fight before the end of the years with the help of his promoters, Mayweather Promotions, Badou plans to launch a YouTube channel in the near future.
That’s right, fans will be able to catch a sneak peek of the life of a two-division World Champion fighter from the comforts of their smartphones.
“It’s going to be a very fun channel,” Amer adds.
Be sure to follow Badou Jack on Instagram (@badoujack) and check back for more updates here on ITP Live.
Written by Doa’a El Khouly and Laura Kell