Johnny Fisher ‘freed’ by expectation of Alen Babic

Johnny Fisher has proven that he can punch. He has also demonstrated a willingness to learn, and the all-important ability of shifting a good number of tickets.

On Saturday, we may just learn whether or not the heavyweight prospect can fight. 

Having eased through the first part of his career, the southern area champion steps up a level when he takes on the wild Alen Babic, 12-1 (11 KOs), at the Copper Box Arena in London. 

Fisher, 11-0 (10 KOs), will be trading with an opponent who possesses the power to hurt him, and he will also be stepping into the ring with someone who genuinely believes that he will win, and who will cling on to that belief until the fight is over.

It is conceivable that Fisher makes short work of the Croatian, but if Babic is able to absorb the 25 year-old’s power and to keep moving forward, Fisher may just be asked some questions he doesn’t yet know the answers to. 

“I’m expecting a really, really hard and gruelling 10 rounds,” Fisher said during Matchroom’s Make the Days Count documentary. “Once you sort of resign yourself to thinking that it’s gonna be the most painful, horrible experience of your life it frees you a little bit. You know it’s gonna be horrible so you train as hard as you can. 

“It’s exciting more than anything. After all this preparation you want to put on a show for people.”

Boxing wisdom suggests that the way to tame the ultra-aggressive Babic is to draw his sting by frustrating him with straight punches and smart movement before exploiting his technical weaknesses in the later rounds. However, there rarely seems much wisdom involved when Babic fights. The 33 year old sets such a high pace and commits to his attacks to such an extent that he either leaves his opponents with little choice but to punch with him, or tempted to try and overpower him.

Babic was stopped inside a round by Lukasz Rozanski at bridgerweight in April 2023 and is as vulnerable as he is dangerous, but he hits hard, and he has spoken confidently about Fisher being untested and unprepared for a fighter of his nature.

Fisher is entering the fight with the same blueprint as each of Babic’s opponents but it seems inevitable that, at some point, those plans will be abandoned.

“It’s about setting it up in an educated way,” he said. “Busting him up, that’s the plan. I didn’t want to be known as a puncher – I just think I am one. I always will want to use that power first and foremost but I have got boxing skills as well.

“He’s a proud man. He won’t be coming here to lie down. The way I look at it, he’s coming over to take everything that we’ve built and tear that all down so I have a lot to lose.

“The instinctive way that I fight is to look for the knockout. It might not come in the first round – it might come in the 10th round – but I’m always gonna be looking for it. That’s what people get when they come and watch me. They know they’re gonna be entertained.”