Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen are running it back at the “Copper-Bosh.”
The British heavyweight duo will rematch on May 17 at London’s Copper Box Arena in the main event of a show promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, sources close to the situation told Uncrowned.
Fisher and Allen meet at a launch press conference scheduled for Friday in London for their DAZN-streamed headliner.
Fisher (13-0, 11 KOs) won a controversial split decision over Allen (23-7-2, 18 KOs) to claim the WBA Intercontinental heavyweight championship this past December in Riyadh on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2.
“The Romford Bull” started the fight well, controlling the early rounds, however Allen managed to turn the tide in the fifth round, putting Fisher on the canvas and keeping him in major trouble. Allen then dominated the second half of the bout, leaving many without any doubts in their minds that he was a deserved winner after 10 rounds. However, the judges decided differently.
Fisher, 26, is one of the biggest ticket-sellers in British boxing, so when his hand was controversially raised against Allen, many criticized the result as another example of the A-side privileges prevailing in boxing — similar to the outcry with Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach this past weekend.
When Fisher headlined for the first time in July 2024, almost 7,000 people rammed into the Copper Box to watch him take out Alen Babic in the opening round, a fight that was a low-level mismatch.
Allen, 32, looked unimpressive in his previous bout on the big stage before facing Fisher in December. “The White Rhino” lost six rounds fairly comfortably against Frazer Clarke in late 2023 before being pulled out by his trainer, Jamie Moore. He now looks for redemption in May, knowing that another defeat could signal the end of the road for his hopes to be a main player in British boxing’s heavyweight division.