Boxing results: Fisher knocks out Allen in controversial decision

Heavyweight Johnny Fisher (13-0, 11 KOs) was handed a highly controversial 10-round split decision win over the experienced and tough Dave Allen (23-7-2, 18 KOs) on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena from Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.

Allen Robat

Many boxing fans complained about the results of the fight, feeling that the 25-year-old Fisher, promoted by Eddie Hearn, should NOT have won the fight. Fisher was dropped hard by a left hook from Allen in the fifth round and was further hurt in rounds six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Allen seemed to have done more than enough to earn the decision, but not with this crew or judges.

Fisher landed plenty of punches in the final five rounds, but was repeatedly rocked by Allen as he hit hard and forced himself to hold on. The shots Fisher was landing had no effect on Allen, who went through them and nailed him with shots that stunned him.

Fisher’s illegal tactics

Fisher used one illegal straight arm throughout the fight, especially in the latter half, to contain Allen. The referee did nothing about the play. That was interesting to note. Without this little tactic, it’s hard to imagine Fisher surviving.

Had the contest been held in the US, a referee would have warned and penalized Fisher for the straight arm because that was his main tactic, along with excessive belting, to prevent Allen from finishing him.

The scores were 95-94, 95-94 for Fisher and 96-93 for Allen.

Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen Punch Stats

– Fisher: 125 of 395 hits for 31.6%
– Allen: 135 of 303 for 44.6%

Hearn’s turn

“I think the best I could hope for when I got in the ring was a draw. That’s how I see it. Johnny Fisher 100% won the first four rounds and the 12th (correction: this was a 10-round fight, NOT a 12-round fight. Hearn got it wrong),” Eddie Hearn told iFL TVarguing why his fighter, Johnny Fisher, deserved a win over official Dave Allen on Saturday night.

“He (Fisher) definitely won five rounds. Now if you give Allen every two rounds and the knockdown (in Round 5), he wins the fight by one point. Now if you give Johnny Fisher the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, Johnny Fisher wins the fight. I’m not sure he did. I have to look back,” Hearn continued.

“My real reaction was, ‘We could lose this fight by one point, or it’s a draw.’ I think Johnny Fisher was very lucky to win the fight. What I will tell you is that he showed so much (courage) and so much guts. We know he has that in him. “Tonight, we (three-year pro Fisher, 25) suffered from a lack of experience, a lack of rounds (41 as a pro, as a result of too many mismatches) and I thought Dave Allen was fantastic,” Hearn said.

Hometown advantage?

If there is a Fisher-Allen rematch, it would be a good idea to stage it on neutral territory. Hearn says he wants the rematch to take place in London, ie Fisher’s hometown. This is not good business for Allen, who is from Yorkshire. That means the crowd would be in favor of A-side Fisher, and we could see another controversial decision given to him based on hometown advantage alone.

“I want to do the rematch. It’s the fight to do in London, a lot of people and Dave Allen has another chance. Johnny Fisher is in hospital now. He’s been scanned, he’s fine. He had to have his ear drained (left), but that’s the main thing. It was a very, very close fight. I thought Johnny Fisher got the win, but I could argue for a split,” Hearn said.

The moment Dave Allen dropped Johnny Fisher 🤯#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh season | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/J8z4J2rVeZ

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 22, 2024