Fisher Beats Pirotton by Majority Decision

Johnny Fisher won his first fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, but Michael Pirotton made him work until the final bell for a majority decision. Fisher took two cards, 98 to 92 from Reece Carter and 96 to 95 from Marcus McDonnell. Kevin Parker could not separate them, scoring the ten-round heavyweight contest 95 apiece. The disagreement among the judges reflected a fight in which Fisher’s harder moments were set against a persistent Belgian rally.

More than 2,000 Fisher supporters made themselves heard, stamping their feet and chanting for the man they call the Romford Bull. A small but noisy Belgian contingent answered them. Fisher was back in the building where Dave Allen had stopped him in their rematch the previous year, and he had just watched his gym mate Craig Richards lose to Radivoje Kalajdzic on the same bill. He began as though he meant to put both disappointments out of mind quickly.

Fisher went forward behind double jabs in the opening round. Pirotton tucked up under the first attacks, then caught him with a right hand and left hook. Fisher answered with a combination of his own and pressed the Belgian back, though he left an opening for the counter when he leaned too far over his front leg. There was little prospect, even at that early stage, of Pirotton playing the part of a compliant visitor.

Pirotton landed two firm right hands early in the second. Fisher returned to his jab and found him with heavier punches towards the bell, cutting him above the left eye. The wound bled freely through the third, but Pirotton continued to throw back. Fisher worked to the body and at times slipped under the Belgian’s hooks before countering, showing some of the defensive work he has developed with trainer Tony Sims. His heavier attacks still carried a cost: when he committed too much to a punch, Pirotton could catch him before he regained his position.

Early in the fourth, Pirotton landed a clean straight combination. Referee Kieran McCann then asked the ringside doctor to examine the cut. The fight continued, and Fisher used the resumption to attack with renewed force. A left hook to the body helped make room for his right hand upstairs, and he drove Pirotton towards the ropes. Both men were soon marked by the blood from the Belgian’s eye. Fisher had done good work, but he had also spent considerable energy trying to force a finish.

Pirotton showed the consequence in the fifth. Fisher’s feet had slowed, leaving him standing within range of the visitor’s straight punches. Pirotton landed to head and body and made the home favourite absorb shots he had avoided earlier. Fisher rallied before the bell, catching him with a hard counter that briefly shook him. It was an increasingly familiar pattern: Fisher would land the more conspicuous blow, only for Pirotton to return and resume his work.

Urged on by his supporters, Fisher found chopping hooks in the sixth and landed to both head and body. Pirotton remained upright and dangerous. A second cut developed around his left eye, and the doctor examined the damage again before allowing him to continue. His corner repeatedly brought the bleeding under control, but by the final round the eye was nearly closed. It was a considerable handicap for a man who still had to read Fisher’s right hand.

The later rounds were fought at a slower pace. Fisher missed with a wide right in the seventh but followed it with a left that drove Pirotton back. The Belgian increasingly stood his ground and brought his own right hand over Fisher’s jab. As Fisher tired, Pirotton was often the man coming forward and throwing. Fisher still moved his head beneath attacks, but he could no longer sustain the pressure with which he had started.

Fisher produced one last surge in the tenth. About 45 seconds into the round, a heavy right hand buckled Pirotton’s legs and brought the crowd back to full voice. Pirotton got close to smother the follow-up and recovered. Fisher threw more rights, but he was too exhausted to turn that opening into a stoppage. Neither man had been knocked down, and their evening was left to the judges.

Fisher, now with 15 wins and one defeat, had secured the result he needed on his promotional debut. He was so spent afterwards that he received oxygen and gave no interview in the ring. Pirotton’s record falls to 12 wins and three defeats, but he completed the longest fight of his professional career despite two cuts and an eye that had almost shut. He won the final two rounds on all three cards. Fisher’s power and early work carried the decision; the Belgian made certain there was an anxious wait before it was announced.

I liked Fisher’s jab early, and you could see him trying to slip shots and work the body. But he kept leaning over his front foot when he attacked. Pirotton spotted it and put his right hand through the gap. Once Fisher’s feet slowed, the Belgian could stand his ground and make him pay for every wide shot.

I thought Fisher’s heavier punches earned him the decision, especially when he hurt Pirotton late. I wouldn’t call it a convincing win. Pirotton fought through a badly damaged eye and still finished strongly. Fisher showed heart, but I’d want his balance and stamina sorted before anyone starts talking about a much bigger assignment.