Johnny Fisher Breaks Copper Box Curse to Send Message to Heavyweight Division

Johnny Fisher delighted his travelling fans with another first-round knockout at the Copper Box on Saturday night.

The Romford Bull, as Fisher is known, sold over 4,000 tickets and it took exactly 36 seconds to send Alen ‘The Savage’ Babic into dreamland. ‘Bosh’, as they say in the Fisher world, and it is a world.

This is Fisher’s fifth first-round stoppage in 12 fights and his 11th stoppage or knockout overall. It’s easy to be cynical about boxing and say Fisher is untested – that’s true, but that’s also true of almost every popular, undefeated fighter in the history of the sport. It’s a slow, proven process.

“I dream of nights like this,” Fisher said, his flock elated by the victory and forming an endless chorus of approval. “This is what we train so hard for. This is what we fight for.”

The win was better than the raw stats; Babic is not a bad fighter, but he was caught early, often, and hurt quickly. Fisher was precise and—this may seem contradictory—patient in letting go of both hands. Fisher saw that he had hurt Babic, and he simply unleashed his blows in one fluid assault.

It was an impressive finish.

The fans helped transform the night into a venue that has been looking for a hero since the Olympics left town nearly 12 years ago; so many good fighters have failed at the Copper Box. Maybe Fisher and his horde will get a few more visits, which could turn the place into a fortress filled with 5,000 Fisher loyalists.

Heavyweights Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois and many other top boxers have fought in front of many empty seats in the arena. The seats are bright and multi-colored and tend to be quite visible. Fisher’s fans have never quite filled the seats, but they have managed to do so and filled the arena with a wild atmosphere that has been missing since it opened its doors to professional boxing.

The first fight there was between Billy Joe Saunders and John Ryder for the British middleweight title in 2013, and the event should have been packed that night; it was a sign that the venue was a tough sell. Fisher has cracked the code and, if he fights there again, he could well sell out.

“It’s all because of you that this is possible,” Fisher told his fans from ringside at the end of the brief encounter. Fisher also talked about a fight in Australia.

Fisher is only 25, still a rookie in many ways, but he gets better with every outing and that’s what really makes the difference with young heavyweights. Winning is crucial, but a young fighter has to show something different, new qualities, and Fisher did that. It was short, but it wasn’t crazy, and it could have been tough and ugly – Babic has the right nickname, he can be savage. Too many undefeated and protected heavyweights just pretend fight after fight and forget they’re learning their craft.

Fisher will now attract many men eager to fight him, beat him and collect the same pay that comes with a fight against a popular boxer.

Johnny Fisher is not the best heavyweight in Britain and he may just be in the top 10, which is okay. Fisher is still developing and so far his journey has been very entertaining. Good luck getting a ticket to his next fight.