'Bosh', backlash and rebuild - how far can Fisher go?

Johnny Fisher sits down after a training session

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Johnny Fisher has won 14 pro fights, with 12 knockouts, and lost one

ByKal SajadBBC Sport boxing journalist

Published51 minutes ago

When Johnny Fisher steps back inside the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, the surroundings will feel familiar, even if much around his career has changed.

The east London venue was once something of a fortress for Fisher, where John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' accompanied his ring walk and thousands of supporters reacted to every punch as his unbeaten record grew.

That changed last year when Dave Allen stopped him in the fifth round, handing the heavyweight his first professional defeat and leading critics to question his standing in the division.

Now the 27-year-old returns to headline against Belgium's Michael Pirotton in a 10-round contest which also marks his promotional debut for Dana White's Zuffa Boxing.

"Yeah, I had a loss, but one loss can't define your career," Fisher tells BBC Sport.

"There are many, many people before me who are much better than me who have lost and come back."

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'I'm not an influencer boxer'

Johnny Fisher and 'Big John' pose for photos with fans

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'Big John' Fisher's viral takeaway reviews and "Bosh!" catchphrase have earned him a huge social media following

Fisher's rise has been far from conventional. With only a handful of amateur bouts and a background playing university rugby, he became a major domestic ticket-seller while still learning his trade.

Much of that appeal came alongside his father, 'Big John'. Their Chinese takeaway reviews, Essex humour and cries of "Bosh" found an audience beyond boxing and helped create the travelling support known as the Bosh Army.

Fisher won his first 13 professional fights, but his first meeting with Allen in December 2024 exposed vulnerabilities as he escaped with a controversial split-decision victory. Five months later, Allen stopped him in the fifth round, while his comeback against Ivan Balaz was also unconvincing despite a fourth-round stoppage win.

Those performances sharpened questions over Fisher's boxing credentials and exposed him to a harsher side of the attention that had accompanied his rise.

"Of course my fanbase is loyal to me," he says. "But when things are going well, people want to jump on the bandwagon and when it goes wrong there'll be people who are the first ones to say, 'we knew he'd never do it,' or 'he's no good.'"

There were also online jibes that Fisher was better suited to crossover boxing than the serious heavyweight scene, but he firmly rejects the suggestion his popularity makes him an influencer boxer.

"There are guys who have hardly any boxing experience whatsoever who have millions of followers on YouTube. You think of the Jake Pauls and the Tommy Furys, who aren't even at my level," he says.

"If people want to watch you and you've got a following - which I have through me and my dad - it's a magical thing. But it's not as if I'm in that influencer sphere. I'm a professional boxer first and foremost."

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'The best is yet to come' - history buff Fisher channels Churchill

How far can Fisher go?

Johnny Fisher and Michael Pirotton pose for cameras at a media day

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Belgian Pirotton, 30, has won 12 pro bouts - six by stoppage - and lost twice

After five years with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom, Fisher signed with Zuffa Boxing in July, admitting the deal was simply too good to ignore.

"I got made a fantastic financial offer, which I would be lying if I said I could turn down," he says. "Our health isn't guaranteed in this sport, let alone our financials."

His first proper meeting with White came, suitably, over a Chinese meal with his father. "It was great to break bread - or prawn crackers - over a Chinese," Fisher adds.

There has been change in the gym too. Fisher left long-time trainer Mark Tibbs for Tony Sims and admits there had previously been an element of "winging it" in his preparation.

This camp, he says, has included around 160 rounds of sparring, altitude work and 6am hill sprints.

For all the change, though, Fisher's own assessment of his level remains relatively modest. "I'm not Usyk, I'm no AJ, I'm not Fury," he says. "I'm not these top guys at the top of the division."

He mentions Frazer Clarke and Solomon Dacres as possible domestic opponents and says fighting for the British title within 12 to 18 months would be "amazing".

Current champion Richard Riakporhe has already welcomed the prospect of facing him if Fisher beats Pirotton, although the former cruiserweight world-title challenger would represent a considerable step up.

"All I've got to do is win my next fight," Fisher adds. "That's the only thing that matters, and then the picture becomes clearer. My aspiration is always to have a good time and have a good old swing at it."