Johnny Fisher beat the boxing demons and left Ivan Balaz in a heap on Saturday night in Monte Carlo.
In a tiny fight city where giants like Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon have fought, there was something urgent in the undercard victory by Fisher in a fight he simply had to win to survive.
The slaying of the demons was far more important than the stoppage of the dangerous Balaz in round four. Balaz was dropped three times in the fourth, but had sent Fisher tumbling to the canvas in the first. Balaz was unbeaten coming in, having stopped five of his seven opponents.
It was Fisher’s first fight since he was dropped and stopped by Dave Allen in May; that fight was a rematch of a close first meeting between the two last December in Saudi Arabia. Fisher won the first, it was tight and hard – the end in the rematch was shocking.
“I was under a lot of pressure after the loss,” admitted Fisher. “I had to get rid of the baggage from the last fight and I know that is never easy.” Fisher is right, shocking defeats can scar young boxers forever. Before the defeat, Fisher was gaining momentum, picking out venues, taking care of business and suddenly the mercurial Allen ripped up the script in May. It was a difficult loss to witness.
Fisher has now won 14 of his 15 fights and remains one of the most popular fighters in British boxing. His Bosh Army can sell over 3,000 tickets in Britain and there were plenty of the Romford boxer’s travelling horde inside the Salles des Etoiles on Saturday night. Fisher is still only 26 and in heavyweight years, that means he is barely walking.
“At the end of the day, I’m in this job to give people entertainment,” added Fisher. “They pay a lot of money to follow me all over and I owe it to them to give them something back; it’s 20 quid for a coffee out here!”
After the loss to Allen in the rematch, Fisher switched trainers and left Mark Tibbs to start working with Tony Sims; they had a rocky initiation in the opening round. Fisher was caught with a looping right cross and, as he tried grab Balaz, he was hit with a good left hook. The referee got involved as Fisher held, but the boxer was bundled over. It was not counted and Fisher’s legs were unsteady, his eyes wide; he was in serious danger in the remaining 36 or so seconds of the round. He was a half punch away from oblivion – it would have been extremely difficult to come back from two stoppage defeats. It was a dreadful few seconds for the young heavyweight – his entire boxing career was under siege. He survived, just.
“That was a tough round; I have never been that wild in the first round,” said Fisher. “Once I got back to Tony and listened, I knew I would be OK. The truth is, I got rid of the mist in that round.”
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In the second and third, Fisher regained his composure, moved well, looked for shots and never took any risks. Balaz was breathing heavily at the start of the fourth and was dropped cleanly three times before it was mercifully stopped.
“I’m not stupid,” continued Fisher. “I know I have to refine if I want to win a British title. I know what I have to do. I have to apply what I do in the gym and do it in the ring. I’m capable of it.” Few fighters are as aware of their strengths and weaknesses as Fisher and that is a massive attribute, especially for a heavyweight.
There was heartbreak and some brutal finishes on the rest of the Matchroom card; before the first bell there was a sense of something very special in the cool air of the glittering venue. One woman was ringside with an ornate poodle on her lap – she hopefully covered the dog’s eyes because there was a lot of brutality during the night.
The finish in the twelfth and last round of the fight between Conah Walker, the British welterweight champion, and Pat McCormack, an Olympic silver medal winner in Tokyo, was stunning. Walker was just in front going into the last but he sent McCormack through the ropes; McCormack struggled to climb back in, his left eyebrow spurting blood, but then nearly fell out again. The count reached ten, McCormack was still struggling to stand upright and Walker had defied the odds once again. The British title was sadly not on the line because the fight took pace outside of the British Board’s jurisdiction. The fight and finish were savage, unrelenting – Walker is a beast. And he is also an attraction.
However, the Walker finish was not the most shocking of the night, not by a long way.
Elif Nur Turhan won the IBF lightweight title when she dropped and stopped previously unbeaten Beatriz Ferreira in round five. The raw facts do not tell the full story; Ferreira, who is known as “The Beast”, was sent face-first to the canvas in the opening round and then trapped in her own corner in the fifth. She was defenceless, repeatedly caught and looked totally out on her feet when Turhan was pulled off. Turhan has stopped eight of her twelve opponents. The Turkish woman will now become the most avoided woman in boxing.
Fisher was just part of the story of an unforgettable night of fights in Monaco. It was simply the latest night in an outpost that has always punched way above its weight.
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