One of the most fan-friendly signings made by Zuffa Boxing during its inaugural year as a combat sports promotion will take center stage this weekend in the English capital. Johnny Fisher, widely known to British fight fans as "The Romford Bull," is slated to square off against Belgium’s Michael Pirotton inside London’s Copper Box Arena. The scheduled 10-round heavyweight contest headlines the Zuffa Boxing 11 card, placing the surging English contender directly in the promotional spotlight before his passionate home-country audience.
The headlining showcase pits the 27-year-old Fisher against a towering opponent in Pirotton, a 6-foot-5 native of Belgium who enters the contest seeking to disrupt the festivities on enemy territory. Fisher arrives with a professional ledger of 14 wins against a lone defeat, with 12 of those victories coming by way of knockout. Pirotton counters with a mark of 12-2 and six knockouts, having put together back-to-back stoppage victories leading into Saturday’s opportunity. For Fisher, the assignment represents not only an opportunity to showcase his hard-hitting arsenal under the promotional banner of Zuffa Boxing, but also a test of how effectively he can navigate a rangy, resurgent European rival while shouldering the pressure of main event status.
The trip across the Atlantic serves as Zuffa Boxing’s second official voyage to the United Kingdom, coming roughly nine months after the upstart entity launched its program with Zuffa Boxing 01 in Las Vegas in late January. The promotion’s initial trek onto British soil arrived in June, when Zuffa Boxing 07 touched down in the coastal town of Bournemouth. That summer show produced one of the year’s most grueling encounters, as cruiserweights Chris Billam-Smith and Ryan Rozicki collided in an explosive and memorable slugfest. Now, Zuffa returns to British shores to see whether Fisher’s fervent supporters can generate a similarly electric atmosphere in London.
A Fast-Moving Heavyweight Trajectory
Fisher’s rise in the heavyweight landscape has been as rapid as it has been unconventional. A proud Londoner, Fisher spent much of his youth devoted to rugby rather than boxing. It was only during his university years that he pivoted his focus back to the ring. Because of that late transition, Fisher possessed a relatively limited amateur background compared to many of his peers in the heavyweight division. To bridge the developmental gap, the Romford product sharpened his tools in the unforgiving environment of world-class gym sparring. Over the early phases of his training, Fisher worked extensively behind closed doors with seasoned British heavyweights, including Joe Joyce, Hughie Fury, and David Allen, absorbing the grueling lessons required to navigate professional boxing’s marquee weight class.
While Fisher’s fundamental boxing technique and pure lateral agility remain developing attributes, his commercial and sporting appeal is anchored in raw aggression, concussive two-handed punching power, and a willingness to stand in the pocket to exchange blows. His energetic persona outside the ring, paired with the immense social media popularity of his father, "Big" John Fisher—better known to legions of online followers as "The Boshfather"—has converted Fisher into a legitimate regional draw capable of mobilizing vocal arenas full of supporters.
Saturday’s assignment at the Copper Box Arena ends a nine-month period of inactivity for Fisher, marking the longest competitive layoff of his professional career. Prior to this pause, Fisher’s ledger was defined by a dramatic two-fight series against domestic veteran David Allen. The two first collided in 2024, producing a grueling 10-round battle in which Fisher was forced to pick himself up off the canvas before capturing a narrow split-decision victory.
The immediate rematch, however, exposed the perilous nature of Fisher’s aggressive tendencies. In that second meeting, Allen caught Fisher repeatedly, flooring him twice during the fifth round. Recognizing that their fighter was sustaining excessive punishment, Fisher’s corner took the initiative to throw in the towel, handing the prospect his first and only defeat by way of fifth-round technical knockout.
Rather than allowing the stoppage loss to derail his forward momentum, Fisher returned to action last December in Monte Carlo. Facing undefeated opponent Ivan Balaz, Fisher demonstrated his trademark finishing instincts, halting Balaz to restore momentum before transitioning to the Zuffa Boxing stable.
Fisher remains remarkably candid about his identity inside the squared circle and the entertainment value he brings to the table. Addressing his approach ahead of the London main event, Fisher stressed that excitement and forward pressure will always be the bedrock of his career.
"I’m known for my aggressive style, and my best performances have been when I’m aggressive and going for the knockout," Fisher told UFC.com. "I might not be an Oleksandr Usyk or Agit Kabayel, or a top-level heavyweight right now. But one thing you’re guaranteed when you come to watch me fight is entertainment, and it’s a privilege and an honor to reach out to this new market of American supporters and American fans."
Pirotton’s Search for Redemption
Standing opposite the hometown favorite is Pirotton, whose path through the sport has been marked by personal perseverance and blue-collar grit. Having entered the paid ranks in 2019, the Belgian heavyweight has described his boxing career as a form of "violent therapy" that has helped him navigate a series of significant life obstacles away from the spotlight.
Pirotton’s record features two blemishes, both coming in 2025 by way of decision against undefeated competition. As Pirotton has explained, those setbacks were largely the byproduct of economic survival rather than lack of talent. At the time, he was juggling multiple day jobs to provide for himself, regularly accepting difficult, short-notice assignments primarily for the paycheck despite entering the ring without adequate training camps.
With those logistical struggles behind him, Pirotton has re-established his professional footing. Benefiting from uninterrupted training cycles and increased dedication in the gym, he enters Saturday’s main event riding back-to-back stoppage victories. Armed with a significant height and reach advantage at 6-foot-5, Pirotton views the headlining slot against Fisher as the stage upon which he can permanently shed the label of an overlooked underdog.
From Pirotton’s vantage point, the London headliner will hinge on discipline, intelligence, and patience under fire. He believes Fisher’s aggressive tendencies can be exploited if he refuses to get dragged into an undisciplined brawl.
"[Fisher] has never been through what I have been through," Pirotton said. "The way to beat Johnny is to outsmart this guy. People don’t rate my boxing IQ because, honestly, I never show it properly except in sparring. I’ve never been on such a big stage but I know that’s my quality. I’m ready to be embracing the moment and just be me."
Undercard Matches Fill Out the London Slate
Beyond the headline heavyweight attraction, Saturday’s card at the Copper Box Arena features four additional main card bouts designed to test contenders across multiple divisions.
The most notable undercard attraction is a compelling light heavyweight pairing featuring veteran contender Radivoje Kalajdzic against Britain’s Craig Richards. Kalajdzic enters the contest riding the wave of one of the most prominent triumphs of his career, having authored a stoppage victory over former world titleholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk at Zuffa Boxing 02 in February. Richards will be making his first appearance of 2026, but the British light heavyweight enjoyed a successful 2025 campaign that saw him collect consecutive knockout victories over Dan Azeez and Padraig McCrory. The clash between Kalajdzic and Richards presents a pivotal crossroad for both 175-pound campaigners.
The main card also features an evenly matched middleweight pairing between Lee Cutler and Louis Greene. Cutler sports a 16-2 record with eight knockouts. In June, Cutler secured a technical knockout win over Aaron Sutton after Sutton sustained a severe shoulder injury during the contest. That triumph followed an important 2024 outing where Cutler earned a majority decision victory over Stephen McKenna to secure a secondary WBC belt. Greene enters the contest as one of the division’s hottest fighters, carrying a three-fight winning streak and having emerged victorious in six of his past seven appearances.
Zuffa Boxing 11 fight card, odds
The lineup for Saturday’s event at the Copper Box Arena brings together domestic stars and international contenders across five main card bouts:
- Heavyweight Main Event: Johnny Fisher vs. Michael Pirotton
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Radivoje Kalajdzic vs. Craig Richards
- Middleweight Bout: Lee Cutler vs. Louis Greene
Odds courtesy of DraftKings highlight Fisher as a commanding betting favorite in his home city, with oddsmakers expecting his offensive output and physical advantages in close quarters to carry him past the underdog Pirotton.
Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 11
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
- Location: Copper Box Arena — London, England
- Preliminary Card Start Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
- Main Card Start Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Live Broadcast: Streaming exclusively on Paramount+ (available for $8.99 per month or $89.99 per year, with coverage included for active subscribers)
Prediction
Johnny Fisher’s fighting philosophy leaves very little room for extended feeling-out processes. From the opening bell, Fisher consistently looks to impose his physical presence, step past the jab, and initiate toe-to-toe exchanges along the ropes or in the center of the canvas. Because Fisher operates with such relentless aggression, Saturday’s headliner will reveal early on whether Pirotton has the durability, counter-punching power, and tactical composure to hold his ground against an oncoming heavyweight powerhouse.
Pirotton’s 6-foot-5 frame and boxing IQ give him a logical blueprint: he must keep Fisher at the end of a disciplined jab, avoid being pinned against the ropes, and capitalize on the defensive openings Fisher naturally yields whenever he sits down on heavy hooks. However, executing that game plan under the roar of a hostile London crowd is a daunting task, particularly against an opponent who has already proven he can rebound from adversity and finish fights inside the distance.
Fisher’s experience in hard-fought domestic wars—most notably his 15 combined rounds against David Allen—gives him an edge in high-leverage exchanges. While Fisher remains vulnerable to clean counters when he overcommits, his superior punching power and relentless work rate are likely to break down Pirotton’s resistance as the rounds progress. Expect Fisher to absorb some early resistance before closing the distance, trapping Pirotton against the ropes, and forcing a referee stoppage in the middle rounds to secure his Zuffa Boxing debut in style.
Pick: Fisher via TKO5
