Boxing
Johnny Fisher claims controversial split decision win over Dave Allen in Riyadh
Joe Lyons is a sports writer with years of experience on reputable sports and gambling websites. Joe has also been published by Nottingham Forest, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, horse racing and American football. Joe specialises in long form content alongside news, tips and betting. Joe has a keen eye for the sports betting industry in the USA which covers the NBA and NFL, tracking and analysing the market as it changes throughout the season.
Get to know Joe Lyons betterPublished21 Dec 2024
Johnny Fisher claimed a controversial split decision victory over Dave Allen on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk card in Saudi Arabia.
Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen Result: Fisher wins despite split decision controversy
Heading into the fight, Fisher was long odds-on with the best boxing betting sites to make easy work of Allen, who he frequently sparred with at the beginning of his career.
The result saw the bookmakers get it right but it wasn’t without controversy as many believe Allen did more than enough to come out on top.
The bout began at a quick pace and both contenders made it their intention to come out of the gates quickly looking for an early stoppage, but that was quite short-lived.
The pair looked equally as tired as each other from the fifth round onwards and the fight become a real slog to the finish, but it was consistently Allen landing the better shots at a higher clip.
Fisher looked on top following the first four rounds but when push came to shove, Allen appeared the more solid unit and there’s every reason for his camp to be disheartened.
WATCH: Dave Allen in dismay as Johnny Fisher is announced as winner
What a British Heavyweight Showdown! 👏
Johnny Fisher defeats Dave Allen via split decision. #Usyk2Fury | #RiyadhSeason
Live NOW on DAZN: Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/SMYkFSYSyy— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 21, 2024
Fisher extends unbeaten run to 13-0 including 11 KOs
Going the distance is seemingly out of character for Fisher, who has landed 11 of his 13 wins by knockout and he looked uncomfortable against Allen in the later rounds.
Shane McGuigan, who coached fighters like Carl Frampton and George Groves, said on Sky Sports Box Office:
“I thought it was very easy to score. This is boxing, this is the business.
“The close rounds when you’re leaning towards the guy that’s selling five-thousand, six-thousand tickets, sometimes those are the decisions that you sway towards that fighter.
“I would be very, very, very disappointed if I was in Dave Allen’s corner.”