Fisher outweighs rival as Pirotton issues knockout threat

Johnny Fisher fights Michael Pirotton at the Copper Box Arena this Saturday live on Sky Sports; Fisher is working with new trainer Tony Sims, but Pirotton is threatening a similar knockout fate that befell gym-mate Conor Benn

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>Johnny Fisher outweighed Michael Pirotton when the two heavyweights took to the scales at the official weigh in.

>The "Romford Bull" fights Belgium's Pirotton at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

>After a first full training camp with new coach Tony Sims, Fisher scaled 243lbs, with Pirotton 240.6lbs.

>Fisher is looking to take advantage of Sims' knack for turning "normal blokes into people that can compete at levels that they could never dream of".

>Pirotton though is unfazed by the threat of a 'new look' Fisher.

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>He points out the recent fate of Fisher's new gym-mate Conor Benn, who was rapidly dispatched by Ryan Garcia inside two rounds. That's what the Belgian wants to do to Fisher.

>"His trainer is Conor Benn's trainer," Pirotton said. "Did you see the fight? I hope the same thing as Conor [for Fisher].

>"I guess he's going to show me some different stuff, like maybe use more of his jab, maybe more feints, maybe more moving, maybe, maybe, maybe, I don't care.

>"He's used to the big stage, I'm not. So my mind needs to stay cold. I need to stay focused and be able to use my IQ because I think that's the way I'm going to beat him."

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>Fisher did struggle in his fights with David Allen, but is determined to progress. He hails Sims' influence, and that of John Ryder, a former Sims fighter and now assistant trainer.

>"He [Ryder] went from getting beat for the British title to fighting in front of 100,000 people in Guadalajara in Mexico and he's just a normal bloke," Fisher told Sky Sports.

>"So Tony Sims has got that ability to turn normal blokes into people that can compete at levels that they could never dream of and that's because he gives you self-belief, he gives you great tactics and he makes you super fit. Tony's a great man."

>He's convinced he has the tools to defeat Pirotton.

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>"I think he's got a high workrate. He's never been stopped. He's going to be durable, he's going to have ambition coming into it. He throws a lot of body shots," Fisher said of his opponent.

>"But there's certain things there I'm looking at just from my perspective and what Tony's told me and thinking I can exploit a few of them things. He's a big tall unit but he's not got a lot of flesh on the bone sort of thing."

>The Belgian however intends to use Fisher's impassioned home support against him.

>Pirotton warned: "When he starts to realise I'm not the easy first fight of his contract he was promised, he's going to say: 'Oh, I'm going to get beat in front of all these people.' And the pressure's going to flip in his head.

>"He's going to say: 'Oh this guy is faster than me, this guy can do some stuff that I didn't see in this fight.'

>"I think I have the talent to surprise people," Pirotton maintained. "The odds are really against me, but don't discourage me."

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>Fisher admits he takes risks, and that can leave him vulnerable.

>"My tale of adversity is one that's been done many times before. People who have gone through hardships. And that's what makes a story," he said.

>"People want to see the ups and downs of a story. Nobody's tuning into a fight and thinking it's going to go all swimmingly and it's going to be great.

>"People want twists and turns. I've given them a few of them already."

>Watch Fisher vs Pirotton this Saturday, live on Sky Sports.