KSI books next fight against Joe Fournier, not Tyron Woodley, on May 13

KSI’s next fight won’t be against Tyron Woodley after all.

The undefeated British influencer is set to face Joe Fournier on May 13 in his next boxing match, which goes down at London’s Wembley Arena.

A 40-year-old English businessman who transitioned to boxing in 2015, Fournier is 9-0 with nine knockouts in his professional career.

In February, KSI told MMA Fighting during an in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour that he was considering either Fournier or Woodley for his next bout, however he’d soured on the idea of facing the former UFC welterweight champion.

“I’m looking at Woodley and I’m like, this guy has not won a fight since 2018,” KSI said in February. “He’s been on a six-fight losing streak. Do I really need to fight this guy? Or should I fight someone like Joe Fournier, who is 9-0, fights boxers, none of this MMA stuff, he’s a pro boxer, he’s had an international belt at some point.

“[Fournier] is that guy. And then you’ve got Woodley. The only reason I would fight Woodley is to prove to everyone that I could knock him out faster than Jake [Paul] could. So I’m just trying to weigh it up and see what makes more sense for me.”

KSI, 29, is undefeated in his boxing career and owns a notable win over Logan Paul. He scored a highlight-reel first-round knockout over professional esports player FaZe Temperrr in January.

In a January interview with MMA Fighting, a frustrated Woodley said of failed talks over a potential KSI fight: “The negotiation of the contract was very disrespectful, and it made me want to hurt him So I told this to his manager. I was on a call with his manager and I said, ‘Never in my life have I been disrespected like this in a contract.’”

On Wednesday, KSI pointed to Fournier’s boxing résumé as the reason he ultimately picked him as his next opponent.

“With Fournier, he just, quite simply, has the experience,” KSI said. “He has way more experience than Tommy [Fury] and Jake [Paul] ... and even getting in the ring with David Haye [in a 2021 exhibition] just shows the levels that he’s at.

“But the difference is, I’m KSI, man. And KSI is like no other. And bro, it happens every single time — as soon as people enter the ring with me, they understand that they’re in hell. They’re in hell and they’re either leaving bruised, broken, or sleeping.”