Johnny Fisher survived a shocking first-round knockout to win his comeback fight on Saturday and stop Ivan Balazs in the fourth round in Monte Carlo.
Fisher comes into Monaco on the back of his first career defeat, a disastrous performance against former training partner Dave Allen in May.
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The fact that this defeat came on the heels of Fisher’s controversial decision win over Allen in December means the ‘Romford Bull’ will be under intense pressure on Saturday as he faces late replacement Balazs.
His boxing future was in the air when he was knocked down by two left hooks in the first round. The referee didn’t actually call a knockout and seemed to take issue with some of Balazs’ grappling between punches, but Fisher was clearly injured.
With just over 30 seconds left, the 26-year-old stood up, but perhaps too quickly, and staggered toward Balazs until the bell rang.
Early in the second set, Fischer got into further dangerous exchanges in a still-unstable situation, while Slovakia’s Balazs looked composed.
Johnny Fisher knocked out in the first round by Ivan Balazs (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Fisher quickly knocked down Balazs with one of his best strikes of the fight, but only after a low blow and the referee immediately deducted a point from Fisher.
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After the game resumed, Balazs shook Fisher again, but the 29-year-old seemed to tire in the third game.
Before the fourth quarter, Fisher was in his corner to give new coach Tony Sims, who replaced Mark Tibbs this year, a telling message, and Sims’ advice proved crucial.
Fisher knocked out Balazs with a left hook in the fourth round and then knocked the Slovak down with another within seconds of the restart. Another knockdown caused the referee to stop the fight, causing Fisher to yell to the crowd, “Do it! I’m still alive, don’t give up!”
“About a year ago, I said, ‘I’m not a man,'” Fisher said in a postgame interview.[chester] Manchester City, I am not AC Milan; I am from Stoke City. Well, it turns out I’m a member of Romford United. We move on.
Fisher celebrates after knocking out Balazs three times in quick succession (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
“There are a lot of things I have to do better but that will be done in time with my new coach Tony Sims. Very much so, [I was] Too eager. When you fight big guys like that, they rock themselves. I may have allowed myself to be a little too open.
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“Every time you watch me play, I guarantee one thing: you’re going to get your money’s worth. We’re going to keep going and keep going until I can’t go any further.
“Everything was on the line, so when I went down, something inside me was ignited — something my dad would say to me, something my grandfather would say to me. I have heart, but the tactics will come. We’re building something good here.”
Fisher’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “I don’t think people realize how much pressure he was under tonight. You lose tonight and you’re like, ‘Where are you going?’
“I told him on the ramp, ‘Take your time.’ He didn’t do anything other than that, but he came through it and that’s probably the experience he gained in those two fights [with Allen] That got him through.
Fisher celebrates his wild win over Balazs (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 courage to get through it. He’s going to be a lot better than that.”
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This fight was Fisher’s third consecutive knockout, as he fought Balazs just days earlier. Balazs, who was unbeaten until Saturday, replaces Uganda’s Herbert Matov.
Fisher, who currently stands at 13-1 (11 KOs), has long had a strong following, in part due to the online presence of his father, internet celebrity “Big John.”