Johnny Fisher Survives Early Scare, Blows Out Balaz in Monaco

Monte-Carlo, Monaco - Johnny Fisher returned to winning ways with a statement knockout, stopping previously unbeaten Ivan Balaz in the fourth round on Saturday night in Monaco.

Fisher (14-1, 12 KOs) endured a rocky opening when the late-notice opponent landed a sharp right-left combination that momentarily bundled the Brit to the canvas. Referee intervention ruled it a slip rather than a knockdown, and Fisher regrouped under pressure.

The Essex heavyweight, fighting for the first time under Tony Sims, steadied himself through a scrappy second round marred by a low-blow deduction. By the third, the momentum had shifted—Fisher’s jab and body work began to wear Balaz down.

In the fourth, The Romford Bull unleashed a crushing sequence. A left hook floored Balaz, followed by a booming right hand that sent the Slovakian to the deck again. Fisher stormed forward with a final barrage, landing another heavy right that ended the contest emphatically.

For Fisher, the result restores confidence after a difficult year that included a knockout loss to Dave Allen, a reversal of their earlier controversial split-decision bout. Now 14-1 with 12 knockouts, the 26-year-old looks ready to rebuild momentum in Britain’s crowded heavyweight scene.

“I feel rejuvenated. I feel reinvigorated,” Fisher said earlier in fight week to ESPN. “I’m with Tony Sims now, and my job is to go in there and be what I am — the Romford Bull.”