Johnny Fisher Ready To Prove To Alen Babic He Can Thrive In The Trenches

Heavyweights tend to be given more time and leeway than fighters in any other weight division.

A big right hand can cover up a multitude of sins and a devastating finish will ensure that fans tune in to watch a fighter the next time they lace up the gloves regardless of what preceded it. 

Eventually, the time comes to find out whether a heavyweight prospect can take it as well as they give it. That time may have arrived for Johnny Fisher. 

On July 6th, Fisher, 11-0 (10 KOs), fights Alen Babic, 12-1 (11 KOs), at the Copperbox Arena.

Babic is raw and wild. He isn’t difficult to find and can be hurt – he was taken out inside a round by Lukasz Rozanski in their WBC bridgerweight title fight 14 months ago – but the aggressive Croatian has knocked out heavyweights in the past and brings chaos. He will declare war on Fisher and swing from his heels from the opening bell.

So far the former rugby player has progressed smoothly, using the heavy, straight shots and classic heavyweight techniques and that he has drilled relentlessly since he began training with Mark Tibbs. 

Fisher should start as a sizable favorite to beat Babic but the fight could tell us a couple of things about the 25-year-old. 

It will let us know whether Fisher is able to stay cool and stick to a gameplan in the face of a storm. If he can’t, it will certainly reveal whether he has the fighting instincts to prevail in a firefight. 

“I’ve definitely got the power, we’ve seen that before. If we go to the trenches, that’s what I believe I’ve got inside me,” Fisher said. “You can train as much as you want in the gym but that’s a mentality. That’s something you’re born with no matter what background you’re from. I’ve got that mentality.

“Me and Alen are gonna get in the ring and have a proper tear up. Alen’s saying he’s the underdog in the fight but you’re talking about 13 years experience. 10 years experience as an amateur, 100 fights. It sounds like you think you’re the favourite in this fight. The thing you’ve got to realise is that it’s not about me having to fight Alen Babic, it’s about you having to fight Johnny Fisher.”

Fisher still has plenty of doubters. There will be many who believe that he is being protected by his large fanbase and that even if he does get past Babic, his lack of amateur experience will eventually prove his undoing when he does move through the levels. 

Fisher’s approach to the business has been impressive, however. He has kept his head down, sparred the best operators around and spoken realistically about his short and long term goals. He is now three years and eleven fights into his professional career and trusts that he is on the right path. 

“If you’re in the sport of boxing and you care about what people think or say, you’re not in the right sport,” he said. “Look at Tyson Fury. Look at Anthony Joshua. Look at Oleksandr Usyk. You’re gonna get criticism from every angle. What matters is that you’ve got a team around you and you’ve got belief in yourself. Self belief is something I’m never gonna be short of.”