Joey Essex Is Set for His Boxing Debut. Who Could He Face First?

Joey Essex prepares for his first-ever boxing match and odds on his potential opponents heat up. (C: Rich Gold / Alamy)

Joey Essex was back on TV this summer when he entered the Love Island villa.

The former TOWIE star found love on the dating show with Jessy Potts, and while they recently went their separate ways, Joey is now looking at a different type of match. The reality TV star is said to be turning his hand to a boxing career, and his first fight could land him a £1 million payday.

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A source recently told The Sun newspaper: "Joey’s always been into his fitness but in recent years has become more and more passionate about boxing. Joey is excited about this new venture and looks forward to one day taking on the titans of the ropes."

Misfits Boxing, a crossover boxing promotion founded by YouTuber KSI, is exploring Joey's potential first opponent in the ring, but who will it be? 

Love Island Clash

Tommy Fury is the current 4/6 favorite to be Joey’s first opponent, setting up a potential clash between two former Love Island stars.

Joey is said to be in talks with Misfits over his debut fight, which is expected to take place in Qatar in November. Mams Taylor, who co-founded Misfits, has drawn up a list of potential fighters for Joey to take on.

He said, "I’ve got a list for him and we’re going to go through it and figure it out.

"If Joey builds up, has a good few fights and develops a lot of skill and it will be a fair fight and a challenge, then anything is possible down the line."

As well as Tommy, the list is expected to include YouTuber and fighter Jake Paul (15/8) and fellow YouTuber boxer Deji Olatunji, who is 2/1 to face Joey first. 

While news of Joey's foray into fighting may have taken some fans by surprise, he does have a family connection to boxing. His uncle is British boxing trainer Tony Sims, who is working with Conor Benn (4/1) and once trained Anthony Joshua. 

Mams added: "Joey’s got family background in boxing so I think he’s excited to get in the ring and we’re excited to have him. Joey’s going to be very committed; we’ve spoken daily for the last few days and he’s really on it."

Another YouTuber turned boxer, Deji Olatunji, is 2/1 to face Joey. (C: PA Images / Alamy)

Joey To 'Leather' KSI

Another potential first opponent for Joey is Misfits co-founder KSI, who is 11/10 for the gig. The pair already have some history after Joey called KSI out in November, and the reality TV star claimed he would "leather" the YouTuber.

Speaking on IFL TV, he said, "If I were to do boxing, I'm doing that for me; you know what I mean? I've never done that before but I've got it written on my bucket list that in my life I want to win some kind of gold medal, and this will be my gold medal and I'll absolutely leather someone.

"Someone told me that KSI's got a problem with me, but there's no problem here—unless he wants a problem. I would leather him, I reckon."

Despite Joey's big talk, Mams previously insisted it wouldn't be right for Joey to face off against KSI on his debut, saying, "No disrespect to Joey Essex but I don’t think it would be fair to him to make his debut against KSI."

If KSI doesn't step into the ring with Joey, then some of his fellow Sidemen might like a go instead. Sidemen member Tobit "Tobi" Brown, aka TBJZL, previously predicted either Ethan Payne (Behzinga) or Simon Minter (Miniminter) could follow KSI into boxing next. Behzinga is 6/1 to take on Joey, while Miniminter is an 8/1 chance. 

Roo Are You?

Following his stint on Love Island this summer, Joey distanced himself from taking part in more reality TV shows. However, some former pro boxers are only just getting started in the genre.

Former professional boxer Tony Bellew has taken on reality TV challenges, but could he step back into the ring? (C: Cody Froggatt/News Images)

Tony Bellew appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! last year and he has previously participated in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, while Ricky Hatton was one of the celebrity ice skaters on Dancing on Ice earlier this year. While it seems unlikely, an exhibition match against Joey could be next.

Joey might prefer to take on a fellow non-boxer for his first bout, which might mean someone like former England football captain Wayne Rooney (16/1) is a more realistic proposition. In February, it was reported in the Daily Mirror newspaper that Rooney was considering a fight with Misfits.

While he is now managing Plymouth Argyle in the Championship, it doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility that he gets fired from the job before the season is out and then turns his hand to a boxing career. Rooney versus Essex would certainly attract a large TV audience.

Or how about singer Harry Styles (33/1)? In March, it was revealed the Watermelon Sugar hitmaker had joined a London boxing gym, so he could be the ideal first opponent for Joey.

Whoever Joey faces will need to get off to a winning start; otherwise, his boxing career will only be going in one direction.