Johnny Fisher’s trainer Mark Tibbs wanted the heavyweight to have at least one more fight before matching him with David Allen.
The 26-year-old Fisher was awarded a split decision over Allen in December, but after having been knocked down and struggled to the extent Allen was more widely considered the deserving winner.
Their rematch on Saturday at London’s Copper Box Arena therefore presents him with the challenge of having to again prove his potential. It also comes at a time when Allen represents a more dangerous opponent than he was previously expected to be in December on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury II, on the grounds that at 33 years old and after a 32-fight career he was believed to be in decline.
Tibbs, who oversaw perhaps the finest victory of Dillian Whyte’s career when Whyte outpointed Joseph Parker in 2019, had previously expected Fisher to fight in Australia. His promoters Matchroom had planned for Liam Paro to defend what was then his IBF junior welterweight title there, and Tibbs favored Fisher gaining more experience before sharing the ring with Allen given his awareness of Allen’s ring craft and seasoning.
The money on offer for him to instead fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – and on the high-profile occasion of one of the biggest fights of 2024 – regardless made it difficult for the confident Fisher to resist, and him therefore accepting a contest Tibbs considered a risk. He narrowly emerged with his undefeated status preserved, but having had to survive the nature of fight Tibbs had hoped to avoid.
“Johnny’s got plenty more time to improve and get more experience – I really believe that,” he told BoxingScene. “I’ve always said Dave’s no walkover. ‘You ain’t gonna crunch him, and he ain’t gonna go over. He’s an hard night’s work.’
“A lot of people got very excited around him – that’s out of my control. I can’t keep him in the box. I’ve never underestimated Dave Allen one bit. In the beginning, when we took care of [Alen] Babic, we did have an initial plan – we was going to Australia to fight over there, and I was teeing up Dave for this time; early summer.
“He got the opportunity to fight on the undercard of the Usyk-Tyson Fury II fight, and it was something a young man couldn’t turn down. He got excited – we all got excited – and we’re here now.
“Johnny has grown from Dave’s fight. He has an incredible work ethic. But he was – and he was entitled to be – a bit green. He’s got all the potential to go as far as Dillian Whyte – I really believe that. Just because of his work ethic – his ability to listen and take onboard – he’s smart. When he believes it and feels it, he does it.
“I had my fingers crossed [at the end of their first fight] and it was tight. When I watched it, I did hear [Allen’s trainer] Jamie Moore mention it wasn’t a robbery, and I felt that Johnny won it. It was a little bit out of balance, where he had a good half and a bad half; in that bad half he shared some rounds, I get it. But we’re here now. We’re here for the rematch, and one of the boys is gonna draw a line under it.
“What he went through – I’ve briefed and spoke to him since I’ve trained him about experienced guys, and he felt that in that fight. [It’s similar to] Tyson Fury and John McDermott [in 2009] – I remember that one, very clearly. That was then, and this is now; I believe you’ll see a new Johnny Fisher Saturday night.”
Until being matched with Allen, Fisher had largely eased to his 12 previous victories – and mostly against lightly regarded opposition.
The first-round stoppage of Croatia’s Babic had represented his biggest statement as a professional, but having prepared in Las Vegas and then Fuerteventura in Spain – and above all else because of the experience gained throughout his 10 rounds with Allen and the recognition of the need for greater discipline – Tibbs believes that a more valuable statement is about to follow.
“From the start I briefed him about old, experienced guys,” Tibbs explained. “They’re in front of you, they can draw you in to their fight. There’s a tactic – he’s got to be extremely disciplined in the tactic and not think he can chop the tree down. I’m very, very, very confident it’s clicked.
“I sparred with Barry McGuigan, Jimmy McDonnell, and I wasn’t even area level. But I was a top amateur fighter, and I was a young professional, and I got moved around by experienced pros. I’m lucky enough to have weathered – felt the pain – and I can share that with my [fighters]. They pace themselves – they might not have their spring in their step – but they know where to place; where to old man you. That term – old man. Unless you’ve been old manned, you can’t teach it.
“Very good boxers like to fight big punchers. They can see it coming; they know when they’re planting; it’s an instinct that good boxers have. Johnny’s a big strong lad – he’s a game lad – and I believe he’s wisened up since that first fight with Dave.
“It’s like a realisation – Dave tuned into a few old tactics and got his own way, and I don’t believe he’ll get away with that again.
“We started off in Las Vegas. We went there for two weeks. We had a really, really good two weeks over there; I met a few coaches there; we knuckled down at [Ismael] Salas’ gym; we was in the Top Rank Gym; we moved around a little bit to a couple of other gyms. Johnny sparred with Efe Ajagba. Ajagba wasn’t a bit of Dave Allen, but he was very, very technical, and it done Johnny wonders. We come back to our own gym in Rainham, Essex, and had 10 days there before we headed off to Fuerteventura for five weeks – we had great sparring over there. We done some mountain training.
“[We worked on] mainly discipline. Discipline in the tactic. They both would have brushed up on areas, so you’re gonna get a great fight again.
“I’m very confident in victory after what we’ve just been through for the last 10 weeks – that gives me confidence. But I know Dave ain’t no pushover – especially at certain things he does.”