British heavyweight’s Johnny ‘The Romford Bull’ Fisher (13-0, 11 KOs) and Dave ‘The White Rhino’ Allen(23-7-2, 18 KOs) run-it-back Saturday night at the Copperbox Arena in London following a split-decision victory for Fisher on the Oleksandr Usyk–Tyson Fury II undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December.
After a relatively routine opening four rounds for Fisher, the Romford Bull hit the canvas for the first time in his professional career, which completely switched the course of the ten-round bout that ended with scores of 95-94 twice for Fisher and 96-93 for Allen. Many reporters cried ‘robbery’ as Allen largely took control of the second half of the fight, but when reviewing the whole ten rounds, there was a round or two in it at most. I personally scored in favour of Allen by two rounds, but I wasn’t too dismayed by the scorecards, as many rounds were incredibly hard to judge.
“It was not a robbery,” Allen told IFL TV. “I’m not going to complain about it because it was close. I watched it back a few times and thought I probably won that fight, but I’ve seen way worse. I wouldn’t even say it was really bad. I thought I won, but I didn’t think it was terrible. I genuinely thought there were some close rounds. I thought I won the 10th. If you watch it properly, he landed one punch the whole round. In the 6th, I had a big last minute, but if you look at the first two minutes, he probably won the round. He’s my mate, so I’m not going to pour stuff on the fire for him to get grief. It is what it is, and he got the win. I’m just glad it was a good fight and my career continues.”
The 33-year-old Allen was matched with the popular Essex-based 26-year-old as a gatekeeper. A big performance was intended to catapult Fisher towards some even bigger domestic dustups with the likes of Frazer Clarke and David Adeleye. However, 8,000 fans will pack into the Copperbox to watch the two likeable heavyweights find a more conclusive ending.
“It’s been good this time,” Fisher said regarding his training camp at the official press conference. “I’ve been relaxing in-between sessions in Fuerteventura [Canary Islands]. We’ve had a great training camp out there. I’m looking forward to putting on a show for everyone at the Copperbox. One thing is for sure. When I get that crowd behind me, I am that I am. I go in there and it’s going to be a tear-up. As much as I can train, I’m going to go toe-to-toe. There is not much choice in the matter because it is the way I am wired.”
Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen 2 Prediction
We learnt from the first encounter that Fisher still needs some seasoning before he moves onto contender-ship. Aside from the likes of Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, and Anthony Joshua, Fisher is ranked as one of the most popular fighters in the UK. But friends don’t win you fights.
The opening four rounds in Riyadh showed us Fisher has the tools to outbox an experienced national-level fighter with some ease, yet the 5th round exposed his experience. As Fisher worked the body, he played up against Allen, leaving himself open for a vicious left hook to receive a first knockdown in his career. Fisher still had the best part of two minutes to make out of the round, but he made it and his chin stood up for the rest of the contest despite Allen landing cleanly for the rest of the contest. The rematch was made relatively quickly and without too much negotiation, proving The Romford Bull had little hesitancy to face his toughest opponent to date again.
Despite the promise of a “tear up,” I predict a unanimous-decision victory for Fisher. I expect the defensive frailties to disappear in the rematch and Fisher to box more selectively in front of a home crowd solely focused on the result. But don’t count Allen out! His lack of preparation for fights in the past has seen him fall well below his natural ability, but when in shape, he’s pulled off some big victories. Early knockouts against Nick Webb and Lucas Browne are the most notable wins on his CV. However, Fisher’s natural ability ascends both of Allen’s biggest scalps.
Experience is the key. Fisher will have had to have learnt quickly since his tough night in the Saudi capital. His trainer, Mark Tibbs, was credited by Fisher for seeing him through those tough moments. By all accounts, Fisher’s camp has been taken to another level as he hopes to set the record straight in London. In comparison, Allen now manages a stable of his own fighters in and around his native Doncaster. His eyes have been looking toward retirement since a 10th-round ending against David Price in 2019. His gutsy performance, which reignited his career, came as a pleasant surprise to many.
“You can’t buy experience, but you can’t buy youth either,” Tibbs said in the official press conference. “On Saturday night, Dave is going to have a bit of a reminder of what it is like to feel a bit of youth. Johnny will be the fresher fighter. He understands certain things that only clicked on the night, on the job. I’m very confident in my man, Johnny Fisher.”
JOHNNY FISHER VS DAVE ALLEN 2 BETTING ODDS
Per DraftKings SportsBook, Johnny Fisher is the favorite at -275, and Dave Allen is the underdog at +210.
Johnny Fisher: TKO/KO +140; Decision +180
Draw: +1600
Dave Allen: TKO/KO +500; Decision +475
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