Johnny Fisher (14-1, 12 KOs) kept his career alive with a shaky performance, knocking out little-known heavyweight Ivan Balaz (7-1, 5 KOs) in the fourth round on Saturday night at the Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo.
Balaz Scores First-Round Knockdown
Fisher, 26, was dropped late in the first round by a right hand from the Slovakian heavyweight Balaz. Things looked bleak for him at that point in the fight. He was able to just barely get out of the round, somehow, without being finished off.
Rabbit Punch Controversy
In round four, Fisher’s power bailed him out, as he knocked Balaz down with a left hook. From there, ‘The Romford Bull’ Fisher knocked Balaz down twice more with beautiful right-hand rabbit punches.
It was perfect form for Fisher’s punches to the back of Balaz’s head to drop him for the final two knockdowns. Granted, it wasn’t the ideal way to win, but if the referee Aurel Pena isn’t going to say anything, what can you do? The official time of the stoppage was at 1:19 of round four.
Fisher’s Defense Still a Problem
Fisher’s performance showed that he won’t go far in his career without drastic improvements in his defense. He gets hit too easily. More problematic than that is that when he does get nailed, he goes down. Fisher’s punch resistance isn’t what it needs to be for him to compete beyond the domestic level.
No Signs of Improvement
In Fisher’s previous fight, he’d been knocked out by Dave Allen in the fifth round last May. I saw no improvements in his performance against Balaz that would suggest that he’s learned from that defeat. Take away the two rabbit punch knockdowns from last night, Fisher may have lost.
Bellew Reacts to the Scare
“He showed that he can come through a crisis. That guy is undefeated. He gets nailed by a shot that he doesn’t see at the top of the head on his temple. It scrambles your legs,” said commentator Tony Bellew to DAZN Boxing, talking about how Fisher was dropped in round one by Balaz.
“I saw him looking at Derek Chisora, who was screaming at him, ‘Just hold him.’ He paid attention because he held on for dear life. He showed that he could survive a crisis, and he got the win,” said Bellew.