Having ticked two of the biggest boxes that need ticking when it comes to a fight being a fan-demanded rematch – these being the fact that the fight’s result was controversial, with the fight also being darned exciting – British heavyweights Dave Allen and Johnny Fisher are set to run it back in May. The first fight between these two, that took place on a Riyadh show in December, turned out to be a great one; for lovers of an out on the cobbles/bar room brawl type battle especially.
The 10 round war saw both men take some hurt, dig in, come back for more, and then embrace at the bell. After the 30-minutes of action that would have been quite at home in a ‘Rocky’ movie, most observers felt underdog Allen deserved the nod. Instead, having been pushed way harder than at any other time in his pro career, “Romford Bull” Fisher got his hand raised, not “The White Rhino.”
Now, according to Darshan Desai of Yahoo! Sports, the rematch is set to be officially confirmed for May 17th, the venue the Copper Box (“the Copper Bosh,” as Fisher likes to say). An official presser is set for later on today.
So, who wins this time?
It was a good, old fashioned slugfest the first time, and though plenty of folks screamed robbery after Fisher was handed the win, it was in truth a very close fight. Yes, Allen looked to have done enough to win, but only by a point, maybe by two. The use of the ‘R’ word was going too far. That said, Allen might have shown us all that Fisher is a little more limited than we once thought (not in terms of heart and guts, but in terms of how far he can actually go at elite level).
Allen found Fisher to be a pretty easy target, and the younger man was unable to adjust on the night in December, with Fisher instead having no other option than to dig down and show real heart and desire. Some people think Fisher will now be a better fighter, having attained extra confidence in finding out just how deep he CAN dig. Others feel Allen showed Fisher’s limitations for what they are and that Fisher has found his level. It’s still too early to know for sure.
The rematch, sure to result in a sell-out at the Copper Box, will likely tell us more about both fighters. Another exciting battle is fully expected, as it seems the styles of the two men will make it so.
Can Allen, 23-7-2(18) get a stoppage win this time? Or might Fisher, 13-0(11) and six years younger than Allen at age 26, be able to improve on his initial showing against his fellow Brit?
This one is a rematch that had to happen, and thankfully, it hasn’t taken too long at all for it to get done.