Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen 2 press conference quotes
Below are a selection of quotes from today’s final Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen 2 press conference ahead of Saturday’s huge Heavyweight rematch at London’s Copper Box Arena, shown live worldwide on DAZN.
Watch the full press conference back on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel.
The Fisher-Allen rematch takes place this Saturday, May 17, live on DAZN from 7pm, with the main event ringwalks expected from 10pm. A Saturday night ringwalk follows an afternoon of racing for plenty of British viewers, and our guide to horse racing betting sites covers where that earlier part of the day is priced.
Eddie Hearn:
“Welcome to a lovely evening in London ahead of what will be a wild night at the Copper Bosh on Saturday. It’s going to be nice and rowdy in there and just about 100 tickets left for the event, and if you are from Essex and you are not there on Saturday night, are you even from Essex? As what you are about to witness is one of the great domestic Heavyweight nights. The rematch, Johnny Fisher against Dave Allen, 8,000 fans in there and live on DAZN. And what a time globally for boxing, coming off the back of one of the greatest nights we’ve see when Conor Benn and Chris Eubank faced off at Tottenham, and then the Times Square event, the Canelo Alvarez event in Riyadh.
Earlier today we were at Ipswich Town for the press conference as Fabio Wardley fights our man Justis Huni on a Queensberry show. So much more to be announced and DAZN are absolutely flying now, and Saturday night is going to do big, big numbers.
“We’ve got a brilliant undercard with so many great young fighters, and the Middleweight scene is in focus with the three fighters to my left in the domestic mix and looking for bigger honours.
“What we saw with Johnny and Dave in Saudi Arabia was a tremendous heavyweight tussle. One that involved skill but plenty of heart and two big sets of nuts. This is a tough, tough sport, and I think both guys should commended for what they did that night, and more importantly, for running if back. Dave didn’t have to do the rematch, and Johnny certainly didn’t have to. But there was controversy and debate, there was split opinion, and on Saturday night they will do one of the hardest things you can do in life and that’s go in there and have a fight with another man in front of the world for your entertainment.”
Johnny Fisher:
“Thank you to everyone that has purchased a ticket and everyone that will be watching around the world, it’s always very humbling and I always put my best performance on. It’s been good this time in training, relaxing in between sessions in Fuertaventura, it was a great camp over there with Mark and Sunny and some good sparring partners, and I’m looking forward to putting on a show for everyone and one thing is for sure, when I get that crowd behind me, I am what I am, I go in there and it’s going to be a tear-up. As much as I train to do this and that, I’m going to go toe-to-toe and there’s not much choice in that matter as that’s just the way I’m wired.
“I’ve done 10 rounds in a position where I was a bit incapacitated really from the second round onwards and I got caught. But I know that if I had someone in that position, they wouldn’t be getting to the 10th round. I know I can be in there, take those shots and come out firing in the final round. So, I can draw huge confidence from that, that I can be in that state and still come out swinging in the final round, it’s exciting. You add in the 12th man of the Romford Bull Army in the background as well, it’s going to be rocking in there.
“The people who come to support me aren’t just fans, they are my friends and family, and when I go and fight, they are with me all the time and it does make me emotional when I think about it. I’m very proud, it’s a team effort, my Mum and Dad, my Mum does the t-shirts for everyone, and she’s been stressed, I saw her at the Brewery yesterday with everyone asking her for things. That’s what motivates me, it’s everyone behind me, my community, my friends, my family, it gives me strength and helps me come through. I’m just excited to lay it all on the line. When I look back on my career in 10, 20, 30 years time, I want to be able to say I gave it 110 per cent every time I got in the ring and that’s why people come and support me.
“I’m well conditioned, I’ve been out there training and replenishing. Last time, if I’m honest, I wasn’t well conditioned because of the work I was doing ahead of the cancelled shows. Now I’ve had a replenished camp, I’ve trained diligently, and I can try and say I will do this and that, you’ve seen me box, I really only know how to have a tear-up, I’m in a better position to do that and I’m just going to absolutely let me hands go.”
Mark Tibbs (Fisher’s trainer):
“We’re ready to rock and roll for sure. Like Jamie said, they will both give a brilliant performance on Saturday, they will give it their all. Johnny has learnt a hell of a lot from those 10 rounds in the first fight with Dave. He is an experienced fighter, Dave, I’ve known him a long, long time since working with Dillian Whyte, you can’t buy experience, but you can’t buy youth either. So, on Saturday night Dave will have a reminder to feel a bit of youth, as Johnny will be the fresher fighter, I believe he understands certain things that only clicked on the night on the job, and I am very confident in my man.
“Johnny is going to hold his ground. I don’t want to give the game plan away but he’s a young and naturally strong man, he’s got energy you can’t match, and there’s going to be plenty of leather thrown on Saturday.
“I’m very confident that Johnny is going to look very, very good. He’ll elevate himself onto the next level to earn some more money! Money baby – it’s about the fucking money! Dave and Jamie, we’ve seen a lot of each other over the years and there’s a lot of respect there, but it’s the business, we’re not happy where we are.”
Dave Allen:
“This is probably the first fight I’ve ever looked forward to really from starting out as a kid. I never really wanted to box, but I wanted to box more than I wanted to go to work. So I went to the boxing gym like my Dad did, I did alright, and before you know it I’m boxing Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz, and it became unenjoyable as I was boxing the best Heavyweights in the world as a novice, and it got really hard, I won a few and lost a few, and I completely fell out of love with it by the time the first fight with Johnny came around.
“But something just clicked that night, I don’t know what it was. I really enjoyed the ten rounds we had, but at times I really didn’t. It’s taken me 17 years to think ‘I’ve got half an idea of what I am doing here’. This can’t come quick enough, and I can’t wait to get in there and box.
“I’ve been with Jamie and Nigel properly since October, I was straight back in there after the first fight. I’ve been a bit hit-and-miss with the food, but I enjoyed Christmas. Pat Brown is in the gym, and I have to show him who the man is on a daily basis, so I push myself and this is the right level. In the first fight, if Johnny is very good, I probably get beat and if he’s not, I win the fight. The first fight showed we’re on the same level, it was really competitive, and the second one is about if Johnny has improved past me or if the activity and staying in the gym will see me over the line.
“I’ve lost seven times so I would be a fool to sit here and say I can’t lose. But I’ve lost to an Olympic gold medalist, two Olympic bronze medalists, two World title challengers, I’ve not lost to mugs. Johnny is a good fighter, but I think I am getting better, as mad as that may seem. I sent the missus house shopping and we’re looking for ones with en-suites, I can’t believe it, we’re going to get an en-suite, so I need to keep winning and I’m just enjoying my life, I never thought life would be this good and I’d enjoy boxing so much. So yes, I think I’ll win on Saturday night but I’m not a fool, I’ve lost seven times, there’s endless possibilities.
“I’ve got about 73 people coming down from Doncaster so it’s going to be bouncing in there for me. I’ve boxed everywhere. I boxed Dillian in Leeds, remember that? I was shitting myself when he walked to the ring. Tony Yoka in France, they booed me over there, so I’ve seen it all. If Johnny Fisher is better than me, he wins, if I’m better than him, I win. I’m looking forward to the crowd, the atmosphere and experiencing all of that, but when the bell goes it’s just me and him. There’s not another fella I would want to do this with, and I want to set up the trilogy, and to do that, I’ve got to win so I’m very confident of doing that.
“I think I probably win on points, which is very boring isn’t it! We’ll see how he approaches it; I would have won the first one in this shape, but he’ll be better now. I’m fitter and sharper, but he’ll be better for the experience, so I’ll do what I always do – I’ll come out in the first round and throw three punches, I’ll throw six in round two, seven in round three, four in round four then we’ll go to work and throw 12 punches a round. We know that if I hit him, I can hurt him, but he’s a tough fella, a good fighter, he’ll be improved. I’m pretty confident I can do the job.”
Jamie Moore (Allen’s trainer):
“It was a great performance by Dave in the first fight, a lot of people thought he won the fight. The way you score boxing, when it’s scored round-by-round, it’s easy to get mixed up with someone winning rounds bigger than the other person. When there’s not knockdowns, you still have to score the round the same. So, it’s easy to see why people were angry and frustrated but it was a close fight when you score it for what it was. I believe the knockdown won it for us, and we go again.
“Johnny Fisher will have gained a lot of experience from the first fight. Has it been enough time between the first and second? We’ll see on Saturday. But what you can’t deny, is the fact that they both deserve a lot of credit and respect for taking the fight. It’s going to be at least as good a fight as the first one, and going by Dave’s training camp, he’s in a much better position than he was the first time, and I’m assuming Johnny will be better than the first one too.
“We can only look at it from our side and from what I’ve seen of Dave, this has come at the right time. The vast amount of experience he’s got, being around the type of fighters we have in the gym, and the confidence he’s gained from being around everyone and with fitness and activity, the performance in the last fight, and the backlash from the result, all that added together has put Dave in a great position. We’re all excited and looking forward to a great night, and we’ve got to take our hats off to both guys for taking this fight so soon after the first one as it was a hell of a fight and it will be on Saturday as well.
“The fans will get a fantastic fight, Dave will use his experience, he’s got so many strings to his bow and now he’s got the engine to put it into practice. I know Johnny Fisher is going to give it his all, but Dave is one step ahead of him all the way. He can stop him, I believe he’s got the engine to do that now where he maybe didn’t in the first fight, but he can also beat him on points. May the best man win.”
Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen latest Betfair odds
Fisher: 2/5
Draw: 14/1
Allen: 2/1
Method of Victory:
Fisher KO/TKO: 6/4
Fisher Points: 9/5
Allen KO/TKO: 11/2
Allen Points: 10/3
Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “Ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch on Saturday, Johnny Fisher is the clear odds-on 2/5 favourite to maintain his 100% record and retain his WBA continental heavyweight title, with The White Rhino 2/1 to come away with the win. Meanwhile, a draw can be backed at 14/1.
“The Romford Bull is 6/4 to win by TKO/KO, with Dave Allen 11/2 for the same feat. Meanwhile, Betfair punters can back Fisher to win by Points or Decision at 9/5, with Allen 10/3 for the same outcome.”
Fisher vs Allen 2 fight predictions
