Slap happy: YouTube star Logan Paul amps up training for Russian ‘slap duel’

Scandalous YouTuber Logan Paul is hard in training as he prepares to enter a Russian male slapping contest, in which he will test his endurance against the country's slap champion Vasiliy Kamotskiy.

The male slapping event under the title 'Battle on Volga', which is set to happen on May 25 in the Russian city of Tver, will mark Paul's latest conquest into the sporting world after last year's majority draw in a boxing match with fellow YouTube celebrity KSI, a match which garnered significant public attention despite the lack of experience from both competitors. 

This time around Paul won't have to concern himself with tightening up his jab or working on his footwork so much, as his tactics for the upcoming slapping battle, in which he will compete opposite Russia's most decorated 'slap champion' is a little more straightforward.

READ MORE: 'I didn’t know I could knock him out with a slap!' Russian slapping champ on viral victory

Paul will compete against the gargantuan current champion Vasily Kamotskiy - known simply as 'Pelmen' (Russian for Dumpling). Pelmen, whose 370lbs can command quite the effective slap, dominated the slap competition at the 2019 Siberian Power Show with a series of conclusive victories.

The Russian, who works as a farmer, already shot a video message for his future opponent, in which he says “Hello, Logan Paul” and shows his preparation for the battle. The YouTuber re-posted the clip on his Twitter account with the caption “The Russians are preparing…”

Earlier this month, another YouTuber, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, posted a video of him slapping Paul after the pair agreed that the loser of a 'rock, paper, scissors' would suffer that particular penalty. However, Zdorovetskiy's slap contained only a fraction of the horsepower that Paul can expect in Russia later this month. 

Nonetheless, the YouTuber appeared confident after the slap saying, “I'm ready for Russia, bro!”

This isn't expected to be Paul's sole athletic endeavor this year, with speculation rampant that he will rematch KSI in a celebrity boxing match in November. 

Paul, who has a wrestling background, has also outlined his desire to compete in mixed martial arts and has reportedly sounded out UFC President Dana White as to a potential opportunity. White has dismissed this speculation.