Published: April 16, 2023
Tampa, FL: At the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Amalie Arena, the second annual Creator Clash took place in front of another thunderous crowd in Tampa, Fl. The Creator Clash 2 proved to be another successful event, and much like all sequels, the second edition was bigger and louder than the first, with a deafening audience at full attention all night.
In the main event, for the second year in a row, Ian “iDubbbz” Washburn, one of the creators of the Creator Clash, headlined the charity boxing event. For the second show, he took on the YouTube star of Wassabi Productions, Alex Wassabi, in a four-round cruiserweight match. Both participants made their professional boxing debut and put on a stellar show for the lively crowd in attendance.
In the first round, it seemed like Wassabi was on his way to an early stoppage using his speed to land clean and punishing blows on Washburn. As the rounds went on, iDubbbz worked between Wassabi’s combinations landing more and more, pushing the Montana native back.
As fatigue set in, both men looked eager to land the punch to end the fight. After four rounds, the match went to the scorecards. The judges scored the fight a majority decision with two scores for Wassabi at 39-37 and one draw at 38-38. With the victory, Wassabi is now 1-0 as a professional.
In the co-main event, former WWE star John Hennigan, formerly known as John Morrison, went to battle with Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein. The hype and anticipation for the match lived up to the billing, with each having an epic entrance. Hennigan entered with wrestling Hall-of-Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan while Morenstein came through the crowd causing an explosion in Amalie Arena.
Hennigan, one of the more well-known athletes on the card, was trained by MMA veteran Josh Barnett. Morenstein put himself in the best shape of his life in preparation for the match, losing up to 30 pounds. But the pro-wrestling star was able to roll through his foe, dropping him in all three rounds before the fight was finally stopped. Hennigan had his hands raised in victory with a third-round stoppage.
The self-proclaimed “Soft Boi,” Ethan “CrankGamePlays” Nestor, proved to be anything but soft at the Creator Clash 2. The video game commentator took on Pokemon card master and former ninja warrior contestant Lee “Leonhart” Steinfeld.
After two back-and-forth rounds with both having their moments, Nestor landed a series of punches with Steinfeld on the ropes. The flurry put Steinfeld on the floor, and while he did get up before the referee’s 10-count, the fight was immediately stopped. Nestor walked away with the third-round TKO.
Taking on the most significant challenge of her life thus far, professional cyclist and YouTube host of the show “Challenge Accepted,” Michelle Khare, stepped in the ring with Canadian chess player Andrea Botez.
The fight was competitive, with neither Botez nor Khare able to land something that caused severe damage. Of all the fights on the card, Botez and Khare resembled pro fighters as their training paid off. All three judges scored the fight for Khare with the same score of 49-46.
In the first of two Heavyweight bouts, Arin “Egoraptor” Hanson of the YouTube series GameGrumps battled with YouTuber and software engineer Jarvis Johnson. Hanson and Johnson ran at each other like bulls in the first round, trading hard punches.
Both men stunned each other at times. Hanson, who fought in the first Creator Clash, used his experience to overwhelm Johnson in the second, unleashing a salvo of punches with the Engineer in the corner.
Johnson had taken enough damage and waved himself out of the fight giving Hanson a second-round TKO.
Haley “Yodeling Haley” Sharpe entered the ring with a chip on her shoulder, looking to get a win after losing at the first Creator Clash to Justa Minx. Sharpe exacted vengeance against one of the crowd favorites of the event, Marisha Ray, in a super lightweight bout. The response to Ray was roaring throughout the match as she had the majority of the crowd on her side.
The crowd energized Sharpe, who cut through the defense of Ray, landing almost at will. Improving her performance from last year in every facet, Sharpe dominated every round, hitting Ray with power jabs and right hands. All three judges scored the match unanimously for the stage performing Tik-Tok star.
After the fight, Sharpe expressed that she was looking forward to enjoying herself.
“I want Krispy-Kreme,” Sharpe said in the post-fight interview.
Former professional Fortnite battle royal player, Myth, faced off against Muscle Party channel creator Brett “Hundar” Hundley in a cruiserweight bout. Many were looking forward to this match, with it having the potential of being the most action-packed of the night. The 23-year-old Twitch streamer with 7.4 million followers made quick work of the in-shape Hundar landing a well-timed right hand that sent his opponent to the canvas.
Hundar showed enough grit to make it to the end of the round. In the corner, the referee assessed that enough damage was done to Hundar, who still seemed to be on unsteady legs. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the first, awarding Myth with the first-round TKO.
In the second female fight of the night, Australian video game writer and journalist Alanah Pearce was tested against YouTuber and film composer Mika Midgett aka RIPMika. The bout was one of the more strategic of the event, with both choosing to take their time and measure their attacks.
Pearce was able to land at a more consistent rate with straight right hands and jabs at Midgett. At times Midgett was relegated to throwing one punch at a time. However, in the fifth and final round, the two battled to the delight of those in attendance.
In the three judges' eyes, this was one of the closest matches of the night, with Pearce winning a split decision. Two judges scored the fight for Pearce with scores of 48-47, and one judge gave Midgett the win with a 48-47 score.
Comedian and YouTube Vlogger Chris “Raygun” Maldonado faced off against Fitness YouTuber William Haynes. Using his height and reach advantages, Haynes kept “Raygun” at a distance. At the end of the first round, a right hand landed that sent Maldonado down for a knockdown.
Haynes would continue his onslaught, turning up the heat in the second round. In an exchange, Haynes landed a right hand and then proceeded to follow up with a barrage of punches. The referred stepped in, stopping the match at the 1:50 mark of the second. Haynes was composed for his first time stepping in the ring, keeping his cool at every point of the bout.
One of the most anticipated matches of the night was between Nathan “Dad” Barnett and AB “Starkilla” Ayad of the H3 Podcast. Both creators were part of the first Creator Clash in 2022, receiving arguably the most deafening reactions of the entire event. Amalie Arena exploded when the two made their way down the ring, with Dad running down and jumping over the ropes.
Dad went after Ayad with a vengeance, landing left hands and right hooks one after the other. Ayad responded with combinations as the two threw hard power punches. Adding to his repertoire, Dad landed a series of body shots that ultimately led to his victory. Ayad was unable to return from the corner for the second round forcing the referee put a halt to the match. Dad would take home the TKO at the end of the first.
Afterward, Dad would announce plans to join the world of sports entertainment, issuing a challenge and trash-talking WWE superstar Seth Rollins.
In the super flyweight division, League of Legends Twitch streamer Jaelaray took on voice-over artist Abelina Sabrina. In one of the standout entrances of the night, Sabrina came out to a mariachi band to a loud ovation. Jaelaray immediately went to work, landing a series of right hands on Sabrina putting the Los Angeles YouTuber on her heels.
The straight right hand landed at will throughout the fight. Sabrina displayed heart, never backing down, and battled back in each round. The judges awarded Jaelaray the unanimous decision victory with scores of 50-45 twice and 49-46.
In the post-fight interview, Jaelaray put out a challenge to Twitch streamer Yungelderberry in hopes of a future match on the next Creator Clash.
Starting off the night's festivities was English YouTuber and Twitch streamer Jack Manifold facing off against skateboarding Tik-Toker and Los Angeles native Dakota Olave. The two battled in a super featherweight bout that set the tone for the rest of the card. The two creators wasted no time going after one another, exchanging blows from the start.
Manifold applied the pressure in each round, but Olave battled back any time his English opponent landed. In the third round, Manifold began bleeding from his nose, invigorating Olave to fight back harder. Both men battled to the end of the bell to a standing ovation from the crowd. After five rounds, the judges awarded Manifold the unanimous decision with scores of 49-46 and 50-45 twice.
(Featured Photo: Joseph Correa/Frontproof Media)
