Johnny Fisher is a wiser man from his first contest with Dave Allen and will not let his veteran opponent’s tricks get the better of him in the rematch.
The pair of British heavyweights were involved in a controversial first encounter last December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fisher was pipped by many to bulldoze through the inconsistent Allen but was pushed to the limit by the experienced heavyweight.
Fisher, best known as ‘The Romford Bull’, started brightly but quickly ran into trouble. Allen turned the tide midway through the fight, complete with a fifth-round knockdown. The fight headed to the judges’ scorecards, and many had felt that Allen had done enough to earn an upset victory.
Instead, it was Fisher who was awarded a split decision win to escape with his perfect record still intact - even if far from a perfect performance.
Boos rang within the Kingdom Arena, which mirrored the immediate reaction on social media from fans who watched on DAZN. Some felt that Allen was robbed by the judges.
Regardless, the two will meet again this Saturday at London’s Copperbox Arena.
“You're a fucking idiot if you think he's been robbed,” Fisher told BoxingScene of the first contest. “His own team even said it's a close fight. Could you argue one round the other way? Yes. Could you argue a draw? Yes.
“But you start saying robbery and you're equating that to other terrible decisions we've seen in the past – you're a fucking idiot.”
Fisher has gained a huge following online. His in-ring presence played a part in that, but most of the audience was inherited from his father, ‘Big John’ who has grown to fame with his enormous orders from his local takeout Chinese food establishment.
The younger Fisher, however, learned the dark side of social media since last contest with Allen. Some fans who once cheered Fisher’s wins now pray for his demise.
“I think the thing in life is people are ready to stick the knife in at every point,” said Fisher. “If you try and do something a little bit up there, above and beyond what you would normally do, yeah, it's great when it's all going well. But I always knew the times when it gets a bit difficult, people are waiting to jump on you and stab you in the back.
“So you've got to be ready for that in life. If you buy a house for someone, if you buy a nice new car, if you get a post on Instagram that gets more likes than someone else, people are fucking toxic and there's good and bad in every person. But sometimes the bad can be better than the good and you've got to watch out for them people”
Heading into the rematch with Allen, Fisher is aware of the mistakes he made last time out. Allen was once a fan favorite in the UK and someone that Fisher looked up to during his brief stint as an amateur. Allen used all of his tricks to ‘old man’ Fisher and manipulate him during the contest.
“When I fought Babic [whom Fisher knocked out inside of one round last July] - I know it's a different fight, but when you've got someone saying they're going to do this to you or do that to you and they're nastiness,” said Fisher. “Dave was good at disarming me in that way. And I'm not going to be disarmed this time.
“I was too nice. I was touching his glove in the fight. I was breaking when he said break, for fuck sake. When he said break. When he starts talking to the ref this time, he ain't going to be the same as me. I'm not going to step off and be a gentleman. Because you can't be a gentleman in boxing in the ring. You can be in the way you conduct yourself outside the ring and before the fight. But in the fight, it's a dogfight. Again, that's a lesson. I did a very similar thing as an amateur. When they're a top person, you give them too much respect.
“It's not about him being a nice guy,” he continued. “He's trying to take my head off. I sort of let that get on top of me a little bit. Letting him, ‘Oh, he's a nice fellow. Good man.’ Because I'm a fan of his. I was a fan of his growing up. He's a man in my way, and he's stopping me from giving my family a better life.”
Allen’s manipulation tactics began way before the first bell.
At the launch press conference, Allen commented:: “If my son turns out half the man Johnny Fisher is, I’ll be a happy man.”
“I think he meant it,” Fisher said of the comment. “He's a genuine man in that sense. Of course, he's trying to butter me up at the same time.
“But I'm not going to be buttered this time. I'm butter free.”
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a masters degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.