Johnny Fisher got the win he needed at the Copper Box Arena, but his Zuffa Boxing debut was a harder night than the scorecards alone suggest. Michael Pirotton stayed with him for all 10 rounds on September 26, turning what began as a strong Fisher performance into a scrappy majority decision.
The judges scored it 98-92 and 96-95 for Fisher, with the third card even at 95-95. Fisher (15-1, 12 KOs) had his hand raised in the same London venue where Dave Allen stopped him last year. He left with another win, though Pirotton (12-3) made him fight right through the final bell.
Fisher started aggressively, going to the body and landing right hands and left hooks. His heavier punches and greater activity gave him control through the middle rounds. Pirotton’s right eye became cut and swollen, and the ringside doctor examined it more than once. Each time, the Belgian was cleared to continue.
That mattered as Fisher began to tire. Pirotton kept his jab working, stayed close enough to answer and found more openings later in the fight. Fisher’s output fell, his legs looked heavy, and he took shots that he had avoided earlier. Neither man looked especially polished by the end, but Pirotton had made the favorite work for every minute.
The 6’5″ Belgian came in as a sizable underdog and had never been dropped. Fisher wanted to become the first man to stop him. Pirotton survived the early body work and pushed hard enough for one judge to score the fight a draw.
Fisher had banked enough rounds with the cleaner, heavier work to earn the decision. That keeps his rebuild moving after the Allen loss and his switch from Matchroom to Zuffa. The knockout many anticipated never came, and this performance gave Fisher plenty to work on before his next step up.
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