Johnny Fisher edges Pirotton on points in Zuffa debut

Johnny Fisher beat Michael Pirotton by majority decision at the Copper Box Arena in London on 26 September.

It was Fisher's first fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner after leaving Matchroom Boxing. The heavyweight contest — the division for fighters over 14st 4lb, with no upper limit — headlined Zuffa Boxing 11 in front of a packed East London crowd.

The judges scored it 95-95, 98-92 and 96-95, BBC reported. A majority decision means two judges backed Fisher and the third called it even. The split on the cards told its own story. One judge saw a near shutout. Another could not separate them.

Fisher is winning again. He now has 15 victories from 16 professional contests. Pirotton, a 30-year-old Belgian, slipped to his third defeat in 15 professional fights.

The starting records underlined the task for both men. Fisher arrived at 14 wins and one loss, with 12 wins by knockout. Pirotton arrived at 12 wins and two losses, with six wins by knockout, ESPN reported. Knockout here means a win by stoppage, when the referee or corner ends the fight.

This was personal for Fisher. He returned to the same Copper Box Arena where Dave Allen had stopped him in five rounds last time out. That defeat was his only loss. Before that, he had blasted out Alen Babic in 36 seconds in July 2024.

There was new wrapping around the comeback. Zuffa Boxing is backed by TKO Group, the company that also owns WWE. The 7,500-capacity Copper Box hosted the promotion's latest card, which was shown live on Sky Sports from 7pm, Sky Sports reported. A free stream of the early preliminary bouts ran ahead of the main broadcast.

What makes this stand out is how tight it felt. Fisher got the nod. He did not get it easily. Pirotton made him work for every round and left with his reputation raised even in defeat.

For fans, this means Fisher is back in the win column but still with questions to answer. The British heavyweight picture is led by champion Richard Riakporhe. Fisher will need louder performances to push toward that level. This was a first step, not the final word.