Come April 17th, entrepreneur and WBA International Champion Joe Fournier will battle it out in an anticipated fight with reggaeton star, Reykon on Triller's Fight Club event. Find out more about the impetus behind the match and Fournier's recent move to Miami to continue his boxing career, where he's training out of the legendary 5th Street Gym.

Tell us about your upcoming fight with Reykon as part of the triller fight series?

The Triller Fight Club originally started with Mike Tyson and Roy Jones as the first event. So, obviously, it’s been a huge success and I’m just super excited and proud to be a part of the next fight in Atlanta against Reykon, a superstar Colombian reggaeton artist. But, I’m not sure how good of a fighter he is. We got into a disagreement at a restaurant in Miami over a girl and it ended with me sending him a fight contract, which he signed. So, on April 17th, we are going to see what he really has.

You have chosen to make Miami your home for fighting. Tell us why.

The 5th street Gym is owned by Dino Spencer, who has been my Head Coach since I turned pro. He’s one of the best and most decorated coaches in the world. Obviously, The 5th street Gym was made famous by Muhammad Ali, who found training down in Miami to be the best climate, best atmosphere and incredible for sparring. If it’s good enough for Muhammad Ali, it’s good enough for me.

What’s it like training at the 5th street Gym, one of the most legendary boxing gyms in America?

There are so many high-level fighters training there. Either you get pushed by a foreigner coming in who’s trying to make it or someone that’s already established that you admire. Also, the climate! It’s a hot place. On fight night, when you actually fight under the lights, it’s pretty much a similar temperature. It really doesn’t change much with the training down here versus the night of the fight. It’s a really good atmosphere. Also, the heat helps your muscles recover and also stay warm so fewer injuries occur and there’s better competition. And you know, the beach is close by so it’s good for rest and relaxation.

What are your favorite things to do in Miami when you’re not training?

I love the beach! And, although there are a lot of great things to do in Miami, from restaurants to bars to the clubs, when I’m training, I stay pretty focused. The beach is pretty much my solitude and the occasional boat day here and there, but other than that, I keep a low profile while training. When I go out, some of my favorite places in South beach are Estiatorio Milos for Greek food and fish and Papi Steak for steak ([David 'Papi' Einhorn] is a great guy and a friend). When I jump over the bridge, I go to Swan, Komodo and a few of the other places down there.

If travel opens up this summer what can people expect from your nightclub in Mykonos?

Mykonos has been my home every summer for the past seven years. We are open and are an open-air venue, so we haven’t really been affected to a great extent. The Greek government recently announced that starting May 18th, tourism will be allowed with a negative Covid-19 test. We should be ready to rock 'n roll and be back to what we knew two years ago.