Over the weekend in San Francisco, influencer Frankie LaPenna stepped into a boxing ring to face a remote-controlled humanoid robot, in an event promoted as the first human versus robot fight. The match, which took place at a fight venue in San Francisco, ended with LaPenna taking a beating as shocked fans watched.
The robot, a 6-foot opponent with glowing red eyes, was controlled remotely. Just before the fight began, a man standing behind LaPenna in the ring said, "I'm scared for you," while sizing up the machine, according to TMZ.com.
LaPenna initially held his own, landing several punches and forcing the robot to stagger backward. However, the robot soon gained the upper hand, delivering a series of blows that left LaPenna overwhelmed. Video footage of the fight shows the robot kicking and punching LaPenna repeatedly.
The event was organized by REK, a U.S. robotics company, to promote their virtual reality game in which players pit humans against remote-controlled humanoid robots. The match was published on September 21, 2026, at 6:32 AM PDT by TMZ.com.
The fight comes amid ongoing debates about whether artificial intelligence and robots will eventually take over the human race. If this boxing match is any indication, humans may be in trouble.