- Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen went toe-to-toe in Riyadh on Saturday night
- Fisher was a huge favourite but was given a huge scare by Allen
- Fisher was knocked down in the fifth round but got back up to win on points
Johnny Fisher held on to his unbeaten record in controversial fashion with a split decision win over Dave Allen in Riyadh on Saturday night.
Fisher was a huge favourite with the bookmakers heading into the contest, and came out with vicious intentions as he consistently caught Allen to the body and head in the early rounds.
But the tide turned in a dramatic fifth round as Allen landed a barrage of punches that sent Fisher to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.
Fisher clung on for the rest of the round but was visibly tiring as Allen started to come on strong in the second half of the fight, and when the final bell rang it was anyone’s guess as to who was going to get the decision.
But it was Fisher who got his hand raised by the slimmest of margins as two judges scored the fight 95-94 in his favour, while the other had it 96-93 for Allen.
Allen was bemused by the verdict, and he wasn’t the only one as former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson claimed the Doncaster-based fighter had been ‘robbed’.
Johnny Fisher was knocked down for the first time in his career in the fifth round
Fisher got back up to hold on to his unbeaten record in controversial fashion
‘What an incredible performance from Dave Allen with so much on the line and so much pressure,’ Tomlinson wrote on X. ‘Absolutely robbed from the judges. You did yourself proud mate!’
His view was shared by another fan who posted on X: ‘That’s an absolutely horrific robbery. Horrific. Johnny Fisher did not win that fight. I’m no Dave Allen fan, but that’s a disgraceful call. Disgusting.’
A former opponent of Allen’s, Dillian Whyte, was also unimpressed by the decision as he simply wrote: ‘Bulls***’.
Many had viewed tonight as an opportunity for Fisher to show 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 his limits.
Fisher moves to 13-0, with Allen becoming just 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 medallists David Price, Frazer Clarke and Tony Yoka.
Fisher did not appear to care about Allen’s reputation for standing up to big punchers, though, as he set about finishing the fight early.
However, after being unable to get Allen out of there in the opening rounds, it quickly became apparent that he was in for a much more difficult night than expected and he almost paid the ultimate price.
