Johnny Fisher is looking to return to action early in 2027 and wants to fight Kristian Prenga, the man who almost derailed the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua mega-fight.
In July, Prenga boxed Joshua in what was meant to be a tune-up fight for the former world champion. Instead Prenga put him down heavily twice in their first round. He was on the edge of victory only for Joshua to storm back and knock him out in the second round.
Prenga caught the eye of the boxing world in that fight and Fisher would like the man who almost beat Joshua to be his next opponent.
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Johnny Fisher discusses a potential return to the ring at the end of February, with provisional talks already under way
“Prenga would be good. That’s a good sort of stepping stone to where I want to be. Someone who’s fought one of the best heavyweights we’ve had in Great Britain in recent years, or in memory in general,” Fisher told Sky Sports.
“So to be in the ring with someone like that, who carries knockout power, carries the ability to drop people, like Anthony Joshua, at the top of the division – so let’s see what I can do.”
Fisher added: “He almost did (beat AJ). That’s the fine margins of professional heavyweight boxing and there’s jeopardy in it, I said that in the build up to the last one. It definitely is exciting.”
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Highlights of the Zuffa Boxing 11 fight between Johnny Fisher and Michael Pirotton
Fisher wants to box early next year, even though his last fight, against Michael Pirotton in September, turned into a gruelling battle.
“We’re looking at February time,” he said. “It’ll be here before you know it. I want to start my camp on January 1. I want to build some good foundations.
“Dillian Whyte has been thrown in the hat, but maybe that’s something for a summer showdown if I come through another test before then.”
He has every intention of improving on that last performance. “I felt like I’d been through the mill a little bit, it was a tough, tough fight. Credit to Pirotton, he was a tough operator. I knew it was going to be,” Fisher said.
“When he gave me a death stare I knew this was his World Cup final. He’s a tough man, never been stopped and I boxed very well in the first four rounds and just that second wind never came. That was to do with things we can adjust and make better.”
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Michael Pirotton mocks Johnny Fisher after he got hit with a huge right hand!
Fisher did sting Pirotton in the 10th and final round. “I don’t know where I found that energy in the last round but I’ve dug deep before to get to the final bell and I know I’ve always got that in me. But I don’t want to always rely on it every time,” he said.
“Me and Tony (Sims, his trainer) are still gelling, there’s things that we can change in the camp.
“I couldn’t have trained any harder but it didn’t look that way because I probably left a tiny bit in that last week.
“That’s why it’s exciting as well,” he added, “because we still haven’t seen the best version of me.”
Watch Aaron McKenna vs Jevgenijs Aleksejevs on Friday December 4 live on Sky Sports.