British heavyweights Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen will trade leather for a second time in six months when the pair meet at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday night.
The pair met in December in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury.
Allen, who has earned a reputation of being a fighter who has failed to live up to his potential, produced a gutsy display to drop Fisher in the fifth round, which many thought was enough to secure a points win.
Controversially, Fisher got the nod from the judges in Saudi Arabia and he will look to extend his winning record to 14 fights with a more convincing performance in London.
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Johnny Fisher v Dave Allen betting tip
Rematch should be less fiery
The first fight between Allen and Fisher was entertaining and dramatic, with Fisher guilty of trying to blow Allen away early on.
Once he failed to put a dent in Allen’s armour, Fisher tired and then made a costly error in the clinch.
Fisher showed plenty of inexperience, which is no surprise in what was just his 13th fight, but he found a way to win.
Allen was only the second person to survive and go the distance with Fisher and this could be another long night for both men.
Only two of Allen’s knockout wins have come against decent opposition and he will look to stay in the fight for as long as possible, using Fisher’s lack of stamina against him.
Fisher will be more cautious than he was in the first fight and the two men do not throw a ton of punches, so the chances of an early stoppage appear slim and the fight should go the distance.
Fisher to learn his lessons
Both men have hopes of winning the British title in the years to come and a win this weekend would be Allen’s last shot at redemption.
The Doncaster fighter is a fan favourite, but he has often frozen on the big stage. Now 33, Allen has too much experience to go down without a fight, but he could struggle to get to Fisher if the 26-year-old boxes on the back foot.
Allen is underrated on the inside and has sparred some of the world’s best heavyweights, but if Fisher can keep things sensible, he should not get himself in trouble.
Fisher will likely get the rub of the green on home soil if the fight is close and he should be able to record a second win over Allen before dreaming of a British title shot in the future.
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