Dave Allen showed true colours with gesture after brutal Johnny Fisher KO

Daily Mirror

19-05-2025

Johnny Fisher suffered a brutal knockout in the fifth round of his bout against Dave Allen, who was full of respect for his friend after his victory as he stopped himself from celebrating in the ring
Dave Allen showed his respect for friend Johnny Fisher after his stunning knockout win on Saturday night as he told his corner not to celebrate his victory. Allen secured his win in the fifth round of the contest, dubbed 'The Inquest', which was staged at the Copperbox.
Fisher was downed twice in the fifth, the first after Allen landed two overhand rights before climbing to his feet. But the towel was thrown in after Fisher was rocked by a superb combination that ended in a left hook to the head, flooring him once again.
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Allen immediately lifted his arms aloft before stopping himself and pleading with his team not to celebrate the victory out of respect to Allen.
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'The White Rhino' then spoke with the referee briefly to insist he would not celebrate before calmly going over to his corner again.
Allen handed Fisher his first career defeat in their rematch after his rival narrowly won the first bout on points - despite many feeling it should have gone the other way.
The pair embraced immediately after the contest was over and they were also pictured together in the dressing room later on in the evening - and Allen has insisted he has nothing but respect for Fisher.
"The first fight did me the world of good," Allen said. "I put a bit of weight on for the body shots. I knew it would pay dividends, took the risk and got [the title]. I'm the fattest, hardest man you'll ever see. This means everything to me. I've been written off so many times.
"You know what it means? The belt, everything, my kids. I'm gonna have an en suite, they'll have their own bathroom between them. At this level, I'm a handful. He overexaggerated the movement, which worked against him.
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"I've got experience, I know the game inside-out. I'm him, but with 30 more fights basically. I've said all along he's my friend. He's a very good friend of mine."
When asked about the prospect of a third fight, he added: "I wouldn't allow it to happen, because it's not in his best interests."
Fisher, meanwhile, was gracious in defeat as he vowed to come back stronger after suffering his first defeat. He said on social media: "Last night I was defeated for the first time. We have come a long way from when I begun my journey, but it's clear there is much more to do.
"I took on the rematch when I had other options, but taking another option would not have been the moral thing to do when the first fight was so close.
"The road is long, but I'm back on my feet, and getting up and going again is all that a man can do in this life. Thank you everyone for making my career so far a special one, roll on the next challenge."