Speaking to Ted Lawlor of Crowns Gym Beckenham, heavyweight boxer Johnny Fisher shares insights into his early days in the ring, the discipline instilled in him from a young age, and the mindset that’s carried him through sport, study, and life ahead of his clash with Dave Allen on May 17.
From childhood memories at Ongar ABC to the power of music before a spar, Johnny opens up about what drives him—and what advice he’d give to anyone chasing a dream.
Q: What was your first day in the gym like for you? What were you feeling? Were you nervous, excited and more importantly, did you have a big vision back then?
A: The first time I walked into the boxing gym I was probably five or six years old. I boxed at a club called Ongar ABC in a little unit around the back in Ongar, not far from Brentwood Way. Alan Bush was my trainer, he’s my friend now and he was my friend then. But when you’re a 6-year-old kid and you see an older man, who’s quite stern and he’s getting all the kids into line. It was like a school teacher vibe. You’re a little bit scared, but he had a respectful authority with him. So I just remember going there thinking I can’t muck about, I can’t be stupid, I’ve got to act sensibly. And I went for some hard work. So my first memories of that was my granddad taking me there and just like every other kid, there’s about 30, 40 kids there doing you running up and down outside the gym and doing your groundwork. Afterwards you can have a chocolate bar or a bit of fish and chips or something like that.
Q: You spoke about that authority figure and you seem to be someone with a lot of discipline. Before boxing, you went to uni, you played rugby. How important was it for you to maintain that high level of standard in anything you did and give it your all no matter what it was?
A: It’s what I’ve been taught from a young age. My mum and dad especially and my granddad, even from schoolwork to rugby to boxing. Everything you do, you’ve got to give 110%. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be the best at it, but as long as you give your best, that’s all you can ask for. That should be the bare minimum to give 110% of what you got. I think the way that boxing is a really, really hard sport, and it’s the hardest sport you can do. I think that attitude has stood me in good stead. That’s why I was drawn to boxing because it’s the hardest challenge and I’ve always been one to give my best in whatever I do, whether that’s at school or in sports.
Q: Do you use any unique techniques when it comes to training in terms of visualization, hypnotherapy, meditation?
A: Nothing fancy but the one thing that gets you in the mood is a good bit of music. If you just put a good bit of music on when you’re sparring, when you’re shadow boxing or getting ready, mainly when you’re getting ready to spar, it just sets the tone. A bit of classical music from some good films that I like, whether that’s the Last of the Mohicans or Braveheart, or you think about the films and Rob Roy and films like that. It sets the tone for the spa and it’s not about going crazy and going mental. It just hones your concentration and when you’re concentrating, you’re flowing. It all makes sense more and hopefully that will lead to better spas and better performances in fights.
Q: It’s scientifically proven as well. That’s called a trigger. So when you play that sort of music that fires you up, it gets all your neurons actually firing in the right way?
A: That’s exactly how I feel. And there’s a few things I’ll do before a spar or training. Obviously make sure you’ve drank plenty of water, fueled up properly, had a coffee and got some good music on and that’s all you need. I think you don’t have to make it complicated, but if you’ve got a good little routine, then you’re in a good place. Sorted.
Q: What would your advice be for the young people out there that are looking to go for a dream? They may not necessarily know exactly what it is, but they just know they’re destined for more.
A: Don’t think about the dream or the end destination. Just think about what you’ve got to deal with today. What have you got to beat today? How do you win the day? One step at a time. I remember when I was at uni, I was probably living off 30 or 40 quid a week. My dad was giving me 15 quid here, 20 quid there when he dropped me off. I was just thinking I like playing rugby. I like boxing. I’m going to try and do both if I can. I didn’t think of a bigger picture at all. I just found a goal to work towards within the reaches of what was possible. And then you just keep winning the day, winning the week, and then before you know it, opportunities come and do that thing that you’re not scared of, but the thing that frightens you a bit to do. I think sometimes when you do that, that’s what, uh, that’s when good things happen, when you do things that scare you a little bit.
Q: The Romford Bull Johnny Fisher! I know you’re deep in camp now for your rematch with Dave Allen. I heard you’ve been out to Las Vegas and now you’re in Fuertueventura, so it sounds like the camp’s been a good one so far.
A: It’s been really good, thanks mate. It’s been good. Being over in Vegas was great. It was great sparring over there with Efe Ajagba. He’s obviously fighting Martin Bakole in a world title eliminator soon. I had a guy called Pat Mailata as well, who is this big Samoan geezer. If you think of a Samoan prop in rugby you’d build him like him. He’s six foot five, about 22 stone. And it was only four or six rounds of him, but he was physical and strong and it was good to break myself in with him and then go on to Efe Ajagba. But Vegas is a great place, but definitely I’m feeling more comfortable and more at home and more relaxed in this time zone. In Fuerteventura there’s not much going on at all and it’s allowing me just to completely focus on the job at hand, which is to beat Dave Allen.
Q: The first fight was a late contender for fight of the year 2024. It was an all action thriller. Do you think this rematch will have the same kind of energy or will it be a bit more cautious?
A: In the copper box in Stratford, you’re going to have 7,000 Romford Bull members in there so it’s going to be exciting. I was talking to Sonny Cannon the other day saying imagine if that first fight was in the Copper Box in England it would’ve been absolutely fantastic. It was great anyway. I’ve always got that instinct to be attacking minded and to get stuck in but we’ve got to do it in a controlled manner. And if I do it on my terms and little tweaks and little things in the camp that are different now – I’m actually resting on the weekends now and not being pulled from pillar to post, doing this, doing that. I’m actually getting the recovery in. I feel myself feeling a little bit fuller in my body, a little bit more replenished. And the sessions are a lot more high quality now and the work is better and having Mark Tibbs here full time is paying dividends. So we just got to keep going week by week, tick off each week and execute on the night.
Q: I saw Dave Allen was saying he was actually planning to retire after he fought you the first time. So this time are you planning to retire him?
A: Well listen, I’m not one to band around and call for people to retire or try and talk trash about people but Dave Allen’s been a great servant to boxing. He’s probably wasted, I think he’d agree, wasted a bit of his talent and not worked as hard as he could’ve. But one thing is for sure, the last fight he was bang up for it. I think after that disappointing performance against Fraser Clark where he didn’t give his full potential he really dug deep and came in hot on this one and I was probably five or 10% under where I know I can be, but this time it’s going to be different.
Q: Dave Allen is known for not being particularly regimented between fights. I think you are on the opposite end of the spectrum. How do you think he’s going to come into this fight?
A: Well he’s going to have to take it seriously. He took it very seriously last time. It’s whether he can get himself up for it in the same way. Because as we know, he is not really one to stick to a game plan or stick to a regimented lifestyle. But regardless of that, I’m expecting the best Dave Allen again. But you’re going to get a better version of me this time as well. I think when I look back on that fight. When I watched it back for the first time, it wasn’t until a few weeks after the fight that I actually watched it back. I was really pleased with my performance and how I dug deep and came out swinging even after the knockdown when he shouted break and hit me on the break. I recovered from that and was coming back swinging and even into the 10th round and winning that final round. So I’m up for it. I know I’ve got the balls and I’ve got the heart, but I want to show a little bit more than just balls and heart this time. I want to show what I’ve been drilling in the gym for four or five years now.
Q: Do you think refs need to get a bit more between the fighters sometimes and actually control the fight a bit better?
A: I watched the TKV Adeleye fight. I was watching it in a bar with Sonny, just before we went to bed. I couldn’t hear the audio, but I’m hearing that the ref actually said break and he was holding a hand which is a bigger issue than mine. Mine was actually my fault for being stupid and listening to Dave Allen say break. Dave Allen said break, I stepped back and I got caught with a left hook. So really, it’s me kicking myself a little bit more. It was where I got a little bit lulled into this sense of ‘oh, we are mates and all that’. It took that edge off of myself. You’ve got to protect yourself at all times. In an instance like that, where the ref is actively saying break, step back, holding someone’s hand, I think it is the right decision to rule it a no contest–they’re going to rematch for the British title again.
Q: How long did it take until you felt ‘normal’ again after that fight because you took a lot of punishment in the later rounds?
A: Well, you have to wake up. You have to get back and travel back. It’s not a short journey. It’s around six/seven hours. I went home, got some sleep–I probably slept for one or two days just drifting in and out. And then before I knew it, it was Christmas Day. You’ve got people in and out of the house around that time and it was just really nice. What I was happy with was that my friends and family came around. I had a nice little rest and it was nice to see my friends and family who were all happy and proud of my performance. I had to show something different to my previous fights where I’ve been knocking people out in a round or two. I wanted to show a bit of grit, a bit of heart, and I knew I had it, but I wanted to show people that as well. I won over a new cohort of fans too, which was great.
Q. After Dave Allen’s dealt with, would you be looking towards fighting someone like Lawrence Okolie or maybe David Adeleye?
A: The beautiful thing about my position is I’m the one who holds the cards. I’m the one who’s selling out these arenas and the Copper Boxes. With the right name, whoever that is, it can go to the O2s and we keep building. But you know what I’m like. I’m always on with one job at a time and Dave Allen is my all or nothing fight right now. If I can get through that one, it puts me on another trajectory and another level. I’d love to go and fight in Sydney and Australia. I’ve got a lot of supporters and fans out there. For me, it’s about creating great memories through my boxing career and being able to fight over there, or go to Madison Square Garden would be great as well. I’ve just turned 26 years old so I’ve got plenty and plenty of time and if I get the right dance partner, these fights will just keep getting better and better. There’s plenty of names out there for me.
(Owen talks to him about the Whoop bracelet he’s wearing)
A: I’m wearing a Whoop. It’s just another little thing that I can use to check if I’m getting my sleep. On fight week, I will be taking it off because I don’t want to get overstressed about sleep but it just helps to get me into a routine and makes sure I get my eight hours. I actually noticed my sleep was so irregular because there’s still little things going on and off. To be over here where all I’ll do is train and eat, go back to my room and relax–that’s all I need to do. I’m not actually on any social media right now. My brother Henry is controlling the account because that’s a drain in itself, scrolling through your phone. As you said before bed, you could be on your phone for one hour/two hours. The limit of my phone is watching Rick Stein go through France or watching some cooking programs or watching some old documentaries. I feel like I’m relaxing nicely and watching a bit of TV stuff. So that’s the length of my technological usage these days.
Q: The bookies have got you as a 4/9 favourite. Does that mean anything to you?
A: I’m not really interested. I think I’ve been a really high favourite in some fights, or most of my fights. It doesn’t really make a difference to me. The only thing that matters is training hard, getting prepared for the fight and becoming the best version of myself. All the outside noise is irrelevant. All I’ve got to do is do my job on May the 17th.
Q. Back in your uni days, you used to spar with Joe Joyce and he was in action again against Filip Hrgovic recently. Hrgovic is someone that you’ve sparred with as well, haven’t you?
A: I sparred with Hrgovic back in April 2024. I sparred with him for a good few weeks. I’ve sparred with Joe Joyce numerous times, especially as a uni student and in my early days as a pro. Joe is a very good friend of mine. I have grown to become good friends with Hrgovic as well. I sent them both a message before the fight saying best of luck. Joe’s my close friend so I was hoping he would get the win but after the fight, I actually messaged Filip and said “well done on a great victory in a close fight.” That fight was very close but you can probably see why it was given to Filip. I was obviously hoping (as Joe’s friend) that Joe might have nicked it by round or two, but it was a very close fight.
I actually saw some improvement from Joyce from his performance against Chisora too. He looked a little bit fresher, a bit fitter, and I believe there’s life in him yet. Look at Derek Chisora and at Joe Joyce. These guys are 39, 40 and above. They do have to be careful with their health, but if they’re being cleared by the medical professionals and have trust in the British Board of Control, they’re fit and healthy to do this. There’s plenty of other things outside of the ring that they could be doing which aren’t healthy. If they’ve been cleared to fight and they can earn their money, no one, especially people who don’t box, is in a position to tell them that they have to stop. When the medical professionals tell you to stop, that’s when you should stop. But if they want to continue nobody has earned the right to tell them not to.
Q: The Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron rematch is a fight that’s got people talking after what happened in the first match. How do you see that one playing out?
A: That’s a really good fight as well. I like both Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron. I’ve met Ben Whittaker on a couple of occasions and I spoke to Liam Cameron on a few occasions on social media, and it’s really interesting. I thought Cameron was climbing into that fight. He was in a commanding position, but it’s up to Ben now. Ben Whitaker, if he puts on a clinical performance or gets a victory here, he’s already quite a big star and viral style on social media. Winning a fight like this just puts him on another trajectory, but it’s not going to be easy. Liam Cameron was in relative control from sort of round five six onwards, it’s a great match up. I’m looking forward to watching that.
(Owen: Ben Whitaker not meaning to go viral but just happening because he showboats etc)
Well, in the fight with Liam Cameron, he didn’t showboat once. Maybe he needs to, maybe that’s his style, that flowing style. Perhaps he couldn’t do it against someone at the level of Liam Cameron, but when he showboats, it’s impressive. It’s eye-catching. Maybe he needs to be a little bit more like that. I’ve seen he’s linked up with Andy Lee, a fantastic trainer of Joe Parker and that’s a great matchup. So I’m sure Andy Lee will add another five, 10% to his game.
Q: What are your thoughts on Fabio Wardley fighting Jarell Miller despite Miller failing numerous drug tests?
A: I get tested by VADA relentlessly in the buildup to fights and I’m happy that I do. I’m just always on tenter hooks. I’m making sure that I’ve got all my supplements and my nutrition perfectly on point. I check everything I take and it’s our duty as professional athletes, especially in the sport like boxing, where you can seriously hurt people, that you are being diligent. And someone like Jarell Miller who’s failed countless times, blatantly, for all sorts of steroids under the sun, not just slipping through the net, openly – five or six plus steroids. It’s a travesty that he’s able to fight. But on the other side of that, if Fabio Wardley comes through him, because he is a tough test, he’s a big old unit. We saw Dubois had to be pushed to get him out of there. It’s not an easy night’s work for Fabio, who I’ve sparred with before. I’m good friends with Fabio as well. It would be an impressive victory nonetheless and all power to Fabio if he gets him out of there. I’ll give no credit to Jarell Miller, but if Fabio beats Jarell Miller, I’ll be giving all the credit in the world because he is still a big old unit that can throw back in bunches as well. Teach that man a lesson!
Q: How’s the nutrition out there in Fuerteventura – what kind of stuff are you eating?
Well, I’ve got my nutritionist Lee Ricard, that me and Sonny have reported back to after the last fight. I’ve got a few good spots over here. We’ve got a great Gym Cafe attached to Bailey’s gym here. Cuba’s Restaurant is called. It’s got a Polish guy in there who runs it, Cuba. He’s actually from Romford as well, he’s moved out here and he makes really good bits of salmon, chicken, stuff like that. Making sure I’m fueled. The problem is, last time I didn’t think I was fueling enough. I was eating very, very lean. And I could see that with the back to back camps that I had, the canceled shows, the torn bicep.
My body was just going through the ringer week after week, and I got so lean. I’m not trying to get fat or big or overweight here, but I’m just three or four kilos heavier, replenished, and the food out here is fresh. There’s fish, there’s steak, there’s lean meats, there’s, there’s great vegetables and fruit, and it’s just about making sure I’m, I’m keeping up with the supplements and getting enough food in.
Sometimes it’s just about calorific expenditure and making sure that doesn’t go into a deficit. So some days you might purposely eat a bit more than you should because you know, the next couple of days it’s going to be on top of you and it’s going to be harder to get it in. So far my weight’s all on track and we’re planning and we’re preparing a lot better because I’ve got that time to make sure I’m eating.
I’m not rushing here to get this food or I’m not doing a shortcut here. You know, everything’s going in.
Q: Thoughts on the Conor Benn Eubank Jr fight – is all getting too much with the egg slap and the £1million bet?
It’s been a great little buildup, with the Piers Morgan interviews as well. Chris Eubank’s playing it cool and he’s drawing Conor in. But I know Conor Benn will train diligently. He’s over in Mallorca I hear, with Tony Simms. He trains fantastically. Obviously there’s that weight disparity. There’s a pro and a con for both sides. One’s gotta come up a little bit and one’s gotta come down. We’ll see how that plays out on the night. I think Chris Eubank is the older man that’s going to play a bit more on him. I’d rather come up and wait than come down.
I also think age is on Conor’s side, but fighting a bigger man is never an easy task. He’s got skills. Chris Eubank, he’s relentless and he punches in punches and he’s fit, but he’s boxed at a certain level and he can handle himself there. So it’s no easy task for Conor. But I know Connor personally, I’ve spoken to him a few times. I spoke to his dad, Nigel a few times and I’ll be cheering him on no doubt.
Q: Is there a disparity in motivation?
Well, we’ll see on April the 26th. Is Chris Eubank in it now to get anywhere in the sport or is he doing it because he knows he is going to get a nice, healthy paycheck? Connor Benn seems hungrier than ever, especially after the two years out the ring. I think he fought in Vegas in April. February 24. He did, I was on the Undercard in Vegas. But he’s been in the wilderness a little bit and now, this is his moment to sort of break into the casual supporters of boxing. People remember the name Benn and Eubank, and that’s going to galvanize a whole bigger audience than what he’s been seeing before. So this is a big breakthrough fight for him if he comes through it.
(Owen: winner might get a shot at Canelo)
Now might not be a bad time to fight someone like Canelo on the wrong side of 30. I wouldn’t say he’s slowing down as such, but it doesn’t wait for any man, the old father time. So this could be a good chance. You never know. But winning this fight. That’s the one that matters for them in a minute, Benn vs Eubank is a massive, massive fight for the British public.
Q: Any words for the Romford Army before your fight?
It’s been absolutely crackers again, Big John sorting the tickets out and, I think we’ve only got less than a thousand tickets to go for the thing to be sold out. So it’s all going well. And for the Bosh Army and the Bull Army – you know what to expect. It’s always going to be exciting, not just the fight, but the before and after. You’re going to have a great time, and one thing you can expect is plenty of boshes, in and outta the ring. BOSH!