Colombia’s biggest streamer, Westcol, faced off yesterday night against Spain’s top content creator, TheGrefg, in the headline boxing fight of La Velada del Año 5 — an event that became the most-watched online sporting spectacle of the year, and the most watched Twitch stream of all time, hosted by Spanish streaming star Ibai Llanos.
The bout took place at Seville’s historic La Cartuja stadium, where 80,000 tickets sold out more than a week ago, and millions tuned in via Llanos’s Twitch channel.
TheGrefg vs. Westcol in ‘La Velada del Año’
The event began as a small boxing card in a Barcelona nightclub in 2021 and has exploded into a hybrid of sport and concert, combining seven boxing matches pitting social‑media creators and influencers against one another with headline musical performances. Yesterday, Ibai Llanos broke the record for the most-watched Twitch stream of all time, with over 10.8 million viewers.
The undercard opened with Pereira7 vs. Rivaldios, followed by Perxitaa vs. Gaspi, Abby vs. Roro, Andoni vs. Carlos Belcast, Alana vs. Ari Geli, Viruzz vs. Tomás Mazza, and finally TheGrefg vs. Westcol, who headlined the fifth edition of La Velada del Año.
Westcol’s fight against TheGrefg was both a clash between influencers and a rivalry between two regions. Westcol represented Colombia and Latin America, while TheGrefg carried the colors of Spain. The fight between the two streamers was preceded by months of trash talk to build tension and hype around the match. A specific trigger for the tension was a disagreement over wearing headgear during the fight: Westcol insisted on fighting without a helmet, defying the event’s rules, which led TheGrefg to call him “useless” and dismiss his boxing skills. Ahead of the fight, Westcol and TheGrefg also teamed up with fighting stars, including UFC MMA champion Ilia Topuria, who trained the Spanish streamer.
The highly anticipated main event of La Velada del Año 5 ended with TheGrefg defeating Westcol by technical knockout (T.K.O.) in the third round. Although Westcol started strong with aggressive striking, he tired quickly and was eventually overwhelmed by TheGrefg’s superior stamina and reach. After two standing counts and a dominant sequence from TheGrefg, the referee stopped the fight, awarding the victory to the Spanish streamer.
Between bouts, audience was treated to live sets by reggaeton star Myke Towers, pop sensation Aitana, Spaniard Melendi, urban newcomer De La Rose, trap artist Eladio Carrion, Los del RĂo, and regional Mexican outfit Grupo Frontera.
Last year’s event broke Twitch’s streaming record
Twitch viewers enjoyed a broadcast quality rivaling top‑tier sports coverage, with more than 36 cameras and infrastructure comparable to La Liga football matches. Production trucks, some 45 in all, line the stadium concourse, housing audio, video, and graphics crews. Organizers have also taken steps to combat daytime temperatures that reached 38 °C (100 °F) during rehearsals through hydration stations, misting fans, shaded areas, and an early‑entry policy was put in place to protect fans and participants.
Last year’s Velada set a Twitch viewership record, peaking at 3.85 million simultaneous connections. Llanos, who boasts more than 10 million Twitch followers, hopes to top that milestone Saturday. “This event has become a showcase not just for boxing, but for what the streaming community can achieve when we blend sport, music, and high production values,” Llanos said in a recent interview.
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