British businessman turned boxer Joe Fournier believes he can beat David Haye in their scheduled bout next month.
Haye, formerly a heavyweight champion in the sport, is set to make a one-off return to the squared circle to take on his friend and former training partner Fournier. The pair seem to be on fairly good terms heading into this contest, but in equal measure, “The Hayemaker” also wants to make it clear to Joe that there are levels to the boxing game.
Will Fournier cause the upset?
Fournier himself seems to be feeling pretty confident, as he noted during a recent interview with Mirror.
“David gave me my big break when I fought at The O2 so after that we became friends but it’s like when you have a bigger brother and he gets all the love and I was like the second fiddle.
“The thought had crossed my mind as to whether I would beat David now. He has more experience and a way better skill set and ring craft and intelligence but I’ve never lost and I think this is a much closer fight than people think.”
“It’s a huge package financially and one we couldn’t turn down,” he said. “It could be worth up to $6m (£4.3m) to me. That’s the same kind of money as Billy Joe Saunders earned when he fought Canelo Alvarez; this is world title money, it’s as big as it gets.
“You are always going to get people with a negative view, that’s part of society. I know David and we’re the two most competitive people you can meet.
“It’s all friendly until you get punched in the face. The reality is, if I beat David it is a blemish on his record. He lost to Bellew but he was a world champion.”
Fournier and Haye will meet on September 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Featured image credit: Getty
