- Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen went head to head in Riyadh on Saturday night
- Fisher was a big favorite, but Allen gave him a big scare.
- Fisher was knocked down in the fifth round but got up to win on points.
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Johnny Fisher controversially maintained his unbeaten record with a split decision victory over Dave Allen in Riyadh on Saturday night.
Fisher was a big favorite among bookmakers heading into the contest, and he came out with vicious intentions by consistently catching Allen to the body and head in the early rounds.
But the tide turned in a dramatic fifth round when Allen landed a barrage of punches that sent Fisher to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.
Fisher held on for the rest of the round, but was visibly tired when Allen began attacking hard in the second half of the fight. Fisher was barely able to stay on his feet in the final rounds, and even punched himself as he struggled to control his own punches. When the final bell rang, it was anyone’s guess who was going to make the decision.
But it was Fisher who raised his hand by the slimmest of margins as two judges scored the fight 95-94 in his favor, while the other had it 96-93 in Allen’s favor.
Allen was left baffled by the verdict – and he wasn’t the only one, with former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson claiming the Doncaster-based wrestler had been “robbed”.
Johnny Fisher was knocked down for the first time in his career in the fifth round.
Fisher rose to maintain his undefeated record in controversial fashion
‘What an incredible performance by Dave Allen with so much at stake and so much pressure,’ Tomlinson wrote in X. ‘Absolutely stolen from the judges. You made yourself proud mate!’
His opinion was shared by another fan who posted on X: “That is an absolutely horrible robbery.” Horrific. Johnny Fisher didn’t win that fight. I’m not a Dave Allen fan, but it’s a shameful decision. Disgusting.’
A former Allen opponent, Dillian Whyte, was also unimpressed by the decision, simply writing: “Bulls***.”
Fisher’s father has become a social media sensation with his ‘Bosh!’ videos and was at ringside to see his son in action.
He hugged both fighters after the final bell and was heard telling Allen that he thought he was “over” the fight.
Many had seen tonight as an opportunity for Fisher to prove that he is a major player in the heavyweight division, but he will have to go back to the drawing board after being pushed to the limit.
Fisher moves to 13-0, and Allen becomes the second man to take ‘The Romford Bull’ the distance.
Allen has previously shared the ring with the likes of Whyte, as well as Olympic medalists David Price, Frazer Clarke and Tony Yoka.
However, Fisher didn’t seem to mind Allen’s reputation for dealing with big punchers, as he set out to end the fight early.
However, after failing to get Allen out of there in the early rounds, it quickly became apparent that he was in for a much tougher night than expected and that he almost paid the ultimate price.