Johnny Fisher survived a shock knockdown in the first round to win his comeback fight on Saturday, stopping Ivan Balaz in the fourth frame in Monte Carlo.
Fisher entered Monaco on the back of the first defeat of his professional career, a disastrous showing against former training partner Dave Allen in May.
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In fact, that loss followed Fisher’s controversial decision win over Allen in December, and it meant the “Romford Bull” was under immense pressure on Saturday, as he faced late replacement Balaz.
And his boxing future looked up in the air when he was dropped in the very first round, having been rocked by two left hooks. The referee did not actually rule the moment a knockdown, seemingly taking issue with some grappling from Balaz between the two punches, yet Fisher was clearly hurt.
With just over 30 seconds left in the round, the 26-year-old rose back to his feet but perhaps too quickly, and he teetered towards Balaz before surviving to the bell.
Early in the second frame, Fisher was drawn into further dangerous exchanges while still unsteady, whereas Slovakia’s Balaz appeared composed.
Johnny Fisher was floored by Ivan Balaz in the first round (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Fisher did soon clip Balaz with his best shot of the fight, but only in the immediate aftermath of a low blow, which saw the referee instantly dock Fisher a point.
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Upon the resumption of the round, Balaz wobbled Fisher again, but the 29-year-old seemed to tire somewhat in the third frame.
Before the fourth, Fisher spoke cogently in his corner to his new coach Tony Sims, who replaced Mark Tibbs this year, and Sims’s advice proved crucial.
Fisher dropped Balaz with a left hook in the fourth round, before flooring the Slovak with another within seconds of the restart. One more knockdown saw the official stop the fight, leading Fisher to shout into the crowd: “F***ing come on! I’m alive, don’t give up!”
In his post-fight interview, Fisher said: “About a year ago, I said, ‘I’m not a Man[chester] City, I’m not an AC Milan; I’m a Stoke City.’ Well, it turns out I’m a Romford United. We keep going.
Fisher celebrates after scoring three quickfire knockdowns of Balaz (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
“There’s lots of things I’ve got to do better, but that will come in time with my new trainer, Tony Sims. Very much so, [I was] too eager. When you’re fighting big men like this, they come out swinging themselves. I maybe left myself a bit too open.
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“One thing I guarantee every time you watch me: you’re gonna get your money’s worth. We’re gonna keep going and going and going until I can’t go anymore.
“It was all on the line, so when I went down, something ignited in me – what my dad said to me, what my grandad would have said to me. I’ve got heart, but the tactics will come. We’re building something good here.”
Fisher’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “I don’t think people realise how much pressure there was on him tonight. You lose in here tonight, you’re talking about, ‘Where do you go?’
“I said to him on the ramp: ‘Just take your time.’ He did anything but that, but he came through, and it’s probably the experience that he gained in those two fights [with Allen] that saw him through.
Fisher celebrates his wild victory over Balaz (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
“You don’t have to make it so exciting all the time! That was a really pivotal moment in his career. He showed a lot of heart to come through that. He’s gonna be much, much better than that.”
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The fight marked the third bout in a row in which Fisher was knocked down, as he fought Balaz on just a few days’ notice. Balaz, who was unbeaten prior to Saturday, was stepping in for Uganda’s Herbert Matovu.
Fisher, now 13-1 (11 KOs), has long had a strong following – in part due to the online presence of his father, internet personality “Big John”.