KSI’s victory over Joe Fournier at the OVO Arena Wembley has been called into question as the boxing authorities prepare to review footage of the bout. The YouTube star appeared to land an illegal elbow on his opponent, which sent him crashing down to the canvas and unable to get up.
The illegal elbow occurred in the second round, shortly after KSI had landed a huge overhand right that sent Fournier stumbling backwards. ‘The Nightmare’ moved in to land a crucial blow but missed with his right hook and appeared to catch his opponent with a nasty elbow.
— . (@aowclip) May 13, 2023
Replays of the final exchanges of the bout showed KSI land an illegal on his opponent, which has now put his victory in jeopardy.
Fournier described the incident as a “clear elbow” and called for the decision to be overturned. The boxing authorities will now review the footage to check for the apparent elbow and then make a decision.
KSI appeared unaware that he had landed the illegal shot, as he said in the ring: “I hit him with a massive shot. He was dazed and scrambling, trying to hold onto me for dear life.”
@KSI with the Elbow 😂😂😂 #KSIFournier pic.twitter.com/xFrscxHePN
— mrStrong 🇬🇧 (@Theklassic) May 13, 2023
Fournier, on the other hand, had a different outlook on matters. “I know maybe the judges might be in their favor, but for the ref to let a clear elbow… it’s been replayed a million times around the world. A clear elbow, and then they count me out on the elbow. He should be disqualified. That should be a clear win for me.”
Jake Paul, KSI’s long-term rival, immediately voiced his opinion on the incident on his social media accounts and called for a disqualification. Paul, who lost via split decision against Tommy Fury in February, wrote: “I respect boxing too much to respect what that was. If that was indeed a real boxing match it will be ruled a no contest or disqualification.”
The boxing authorities will now review footage from the bout and check for an illegal blow. KSI’s victory over Fournier is now in doubt, and fans will have to wait for the boxing authorities to make their decision.
They’re both so gassed😭😭
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) May 13, 2023
Earlier in the night, KSI’s younger brother Deji was in action, taking on rapper Swarmz in the chief support. The Brit put in perhaps a career-best performance, easing his way to a unanimous decision victory.
In one of the most eagerly-anticipated bouts of the night, Salt Papi – a Misfits fan favourite – took on his toughest test yet against former MMA vet Anthony Taylor. However, the social media star was somewhat exposed as he fell short, losing for the first time as Taylor claimed a much-deserved unanimous decision victory.