Johnny Fisher survived an early scare before sealing a fourth-round stoppage of Ivan Balaz in Monte Carlo. The British contender appeared badly hurt when a crunching hook from the Slovak left him wobbly and a follow-up flurry and shove sent Fisher down by the ropes, but a knockdown was bizarrely not signalled by the referee.
Fisher, the “Romford Bull”, had been aiming to revive his career after a rematch defeat to David Allen, and his defensive frailties left him in danger late in the opening round. He recovered, however, and finished the job in round four: a right hand dropped Balaz to his knees, and when Balaz rose Fisher landed another big right that forced him back to the canvas and prompted the referee to wave the fight off.
On the same bill, Conah Walker produced a destructive 12th-round knockout of Pat McCormack. Walker unleashed a ferocious combination that sent McCormack through the ropes and the referee stopped the contest as McCormack sagged on the strands.
There was another upset later in the evening as Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira was floored in the first round and ultimately stopped in the fifth by Turkey’s Elif Nur Turhan, who claimed the IBF lightweight title with a sensational win.