Johnny Fisher faces Alen Babic at Copper Box Arena in London, England on Saturday, July 6. The undefeated representative of the country-host and the Croatian heavyweight square off in the main event live on DAZN. The contest is scheduled for 10 rounds. At a kickoff press conference at Matchroom HQ in Brentwood, Essex, the fighters previewed their bout, discussed who was the “underdog” and went face to face.
25-year-old Johnny Fisher (11-0, 10 KOs) is confident in his victory and promised the best performance. The native of Harold Wood, London also said he had the power and mentality to come out on top.
“Me and Alen, we’re going to get in the ring and we’re going to have a proper tear up,” Johnny Fisher said. “We talk about Alen saying he’s the underdog in this fight, well you’re talking about 13 years of experience. You’re talking about 10 years’ experience as an amateur, 100 fights. It sounds like you think you are the favorite in this fight. For me, the one thing you’ve got to realise is, it’s not about me having to fight Alen Babic, it’s about you having to fight Johnny Fisher.”
“If you are in the sport of boxing and you care about what people think and what people say then you’re not in the right sport. Look at Tyson Fury, look at Anthony Joshua, look at Oleksandr Usyk. You’re going to get criticism from every angle. What matters is, you’ve got a team around you and you’ve got belief in yourself. Self-belief is something that I’m never going to be short of.”
“I’ve definitely got the power, we’ve seen that before. But if we go to the trenches, that’s what I believe I’ve got inside me. You can train as much as you want in the gym. You’ve got to have that inside you. That’s a mentality that you’re born with, no matter what background you’re from. I’ve got that mentality.”
“Every fight the intensity goes up. The standard you hold yourself to goes up as you get better as a fighter. As their team said, this is the right time now. It is going to be absolutely bouncing in the CopperBOSH [Copper Box Arena]. It’s going to be absolutely brilliant and that will only make me rise to the occasion. I’ve been there before, Ally Pally, The O2, me and Alen fought on the same card at The O2. We fought here [at Matchroom HQ]. The respect is there. The respect demands the best performance from me, and that’s what he’s going to get.”
Alen Babic: Don’t talk about big strong punchers like they are something new to me
33-year-old Babic (12-1, 11 KOs) said he had his confident back and promised to “drown” his opponent. The Rijeka, Croatia native, who represented his country at the 2017 European Championships, also said he had learned from his past tests and was ready for big punches.
“Listen, Johnny Fisher, I think, is a great fighter, but, I think, he is a young fighter,” Alen Babic said. “I had 100 amateur fights, most of them were tougher than me and him both. I had 12 professional fights, I was tested so many times. I was tested so many times. I went through all of them, almost – all but one.”
“This is his first test and I remember when I had my first test. It was my third bout against Shawndell [Winters]. You were there, and you were telling me that you’re not going to be able to do this it’s a 50-50 fight. I was there and I’m at least five years into this testing and stuff. I know what it brings. That’s why I said yes to this fight, and I feel like it’s a present from God for me.”
“I have 13 years of fighting at elite level. I was one fight away from the Olympics so I meet strong men every day of my life. Strong punchers, power punchers, big men. I’ve fought them all and been through them all, I know what to expect. He wasn’t. That’s the point of it. He wasn’t there. 13 years of fighting. He is a very young man. I think he was about ten years old then. Since then, I have been fighting big strong punchers. Don’t talk about big strong punchers like they’re something new to me.”
“It’s amazing and I know it’s going to be hostile… So listen, I want everybody to know I am the underdog in this fight. F*** the favorites. I am the underdog. I was the favorite for one fight, it was the worst fight of my life, and it almost destroyed me. I was one year into depression. It almost through everything off. I am a big underdog in this fight.”
“I didn’t ask about the money, I didn’t ask about nothing. He knows and Dillian knows, I just said yes. I feel like it’s a present from God. But, on the other hand I feel like it’s the perfect fight for Johnny also. It’s a big step up and a big test. He’s got to have tests. This is his first big test. I’m going to drown him. I know how to drown a guy. I have my confidence back.”
Among the bouts confirmed for the Fisher vs Babic undercard, Reece Bellotti (18-5, 14 KOs) defends his British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles against Levi Giles (15-1, 4 KOs). John Hedges (9-0, 3 KOs) and Lewis Oakford (5-0) go head to head at cruiserweight. Plus, Maisey Rose Courtney (6-0) takes on Jasmina Zapotoczna (6-1) at flyweight.
Also in action, super featherweight Giorgio Visioli (3-0, 3 KOs), super welterweight Emmanuel Buttigieg (4-0, 1 KOs) and middleweight Jimmy Sains (4-0, 4 KOs). Their respective opponents are to be determined.
