As Joe Fournier was lying on the canvas, the referee standing next to him while administering a 10-count, he knew something was not right. Seconds earlier, the 40-year-old entrepreneur turned boxer saw KSI swing and miss with a punch backed by an elbow. The elbow connected flush, Fournier went down, and the fight ended. KSI celebrated a knockout win despite the illegal shot that had ended the contest.
KSI has said the elbow strike was not intentional, but Fournier isn’t buying it. That’s part of the reason why he hopes the PBA will retract the result to a disqualification rather than a no-contest. Enhance your boxing viewing experience with attractive betting odds from Nextbet.
“If you see the replay, when the hook goes past, I’m looking at his glove,” Fournier told MMA Fighting on Monday. “I knew the glove didn’t hit me, because I was looking at it. My eyes were open. Then the elbow came after that, so obviously I knew it wasn’t gloves. I knew it was an elbow.
“I thought actually [the referee] was going to disqualify him, and then he started counting. Like what? That’s when I tried to get up, and then I was just a bit hazy. I was up by nine, but my feet weren’t all there, and the ref stopped it, and I’m like what the f***? I went back to the changing room and watched the replay, and it was clear as day.”
The controversial ending finished the Misfits Boxing 7 card in London. The main event was supposed to be KSI’s toughest test, and a possible showdown loomed against Tommy Fury. Instead, his knockout win was immediately called into question when replays showed that it was an elbow rather than a punch that ended Fournier’s night.
“As far as I see it, he definitely took an underhook under my right arm and threw that elbow,” Fournier said. “That’s a Muay Thai move, and he trains in that gym with all the MMA guys. You don’t want to accuse people of things, but I’m very surprised that I see it exactly what it was, which was a Muay Thai elbow, pre-rehearsed. He’s saying it was an accident. I don’t know. It doesn’t look like one to me.
Afterward, KSI addressed his disappointment in a statement, acknowledging the win was “tarnished” by what he called “unintentional contact” to Fournier with his forearm. Fournier has already appealed the result with the Professional Boxers Association; a decision is expected no later than May 19. But he scoffs at KSI’s words regarding the knockout. Get all the latest updates from the world of boxing only on Nextbet.
