YouTube vs. TikTok: Former Eastern Washington standout, YouTube celebrity Austin McBroom steps into the boxing ring
When former Eastern Washington guard Austin McBroom connected, it was often from long range.
The graduate transfer from Saint Louis University knocked down 115 3-pointers in his lone 2015-16 season in Cheney, well before his social media personality earned him millions, mansions and Lamborghinis.
McBroom, who has 19 million YouTube subscribers, 6.5 million Instagram followers and 1.7 million Twitter followers, is now looking to take the open, short-range shot: body shots.
McBroom will box Bryce Hall on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami as part of the highly publicized Battle of the Platforms: YouTube vs. TikTokers.
McBroom and Hall – who has a TikTok account of more than 19 million followers – are the main card in a pay-per-view event that features musical guests DJ Khaled, Lil Baby and Migos.
It’s fair to say McBroom, 29, and Hall, 21, don’t like each other. The two have engaged in two pre-fight scuffles since the match was scheduled.
Their first altercation was at the event’s news conference in West Hollywood, California, which nearly turned into a melee. The two got into it again last week in Miami just before former world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather fought actor and social media personality Logan Paul.
McBroom has repeatedly predicted a first-round knockout.
“I have been training hard for this. I have a lot to prove, not only to myself, but my family and my fans,” McBroom said at a news conference.
Las Vegas oddsmakers are favoring McBroom, whose fame was cultivated by his YouTube channel “The ACE Family.” The show follows the lavish Southern California lifestyle of McBroom, wife and former model Catherine Paiz and their two young daughters.
“The ACE Family” has accumulated more than 4 billion views. The family’s 2020 estimated net worth was $22 million, according to reports.
Hall gained his following with a party boy persona. He started the news conference altercation by tackling a trash-talking McBroom.
“You can’t play boxing. You can get seriously hurt,” McBroom said. “I hope (Hall) has actually been taking this seriously.”
McBroom began his college basketball career at Central Michigan, where he earned all-Mid-American Conference freshman team honors. As a junior, he transferred to Saint Louis , where he started a combined 15 games during his junior and senior seasons, and once reached the NCAA Tournament .
He caught fire at EWU as a fifth-year senior, averaging 21 points and 3.6 assists a game, earning All-Big Sky Conference distinction. The Eagles finished 18-16 and 10-8 in Big Sky play.
Former EWU head coach Shantay Legans, who led the Eagles to an NCAA Tournament appearance earlier this year, was an assistant in Cheney when McBroom was on the roster.
Legans, who is now the head coach at the University of Portland, is eager to see how McBroom does in the ring.
“I didn’t think he would be boxing, but he’s a very good athlete. Quick hands,” Legans said. “If we won league that year, he might have been the (Big Sky) MVP.
“He was always respectful, had a good personality. I hope to watch the fight.”
The McBroom-Hall fight begins at 4 p.m. Saturday and can be viewed on the pay-per-view service LiveXLive.com.