Joey Essex Draws With Dapper Laughs in Misfits Boxing Fight

Joey Essex fought Daniel O'Reilly, known as Dapper Laughs, in a Misfits Boxing bout on Saturday evening in Bermondsey, south London, with the contest ending in a draw after both fighters competed in the influencer boxing event.

According to sports.yahoo.com, Essex struggled to land significant punches in the third round while Laughs connected with effective combinations. The report scored the round 30-27 for Laughs, contributing to the disputed draw result.

Before the fight, BBC reported that Essex returned for his second boxing appearance after defeating Portuguese influencer Joao Barbosa by points in August 2025. Essex had previously said he wanted to pursue boxing after creating a personal contract in 2023.

"Did I write that I was going to be headlining a show? No, I didn't write that. So I've actually gone past my dreams," said Joey Essex.

BBC reported that Essex, 36, grew up around boxing through his family. His father Donny fought more than a dozen times under the Amateur Boxing Alliance, while his uncle and trainer Tony Sims has worked with fighters including Anthony Joshua and Ricky Burns.

"My family are quite huge in boxing, it kind of stems in my blood. So kind of makes sense for me, with my name, to be involved," said Joey Essex.

Sims initially questioned whether Essex should box, telling him he was not suited for the sport because of his appearance. Essex later continued training at Sims' gym in Stapleford Abbotts.

"should never be a boxer" said Tony Sims.

"too pretty" said Tony Sims.

Essex said he was not pursuing a professional boxing career but wanted to test himself after wondering what could happen if he never entered the ring.

"what if?" said Joey Essex.

After his previous bout, Essex described the fight as a slugfest and hoped his match with Dapper Laughs would feature more technical boxing.

"Let's hope there's actually some boxing involved," said Joey Essex.

Essex has expressed interest in facing larger names connected to Misfits Boxing, including KSI, Logan Paul and Tommy Fury, according to BBC.

"People can believe in you, but you need to believe in yourself," said Joey Essex.