But his victory over Michael Pirotton also reinforced something that should have become obvious after his two fights with Dave Allen — Fisher needs time, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The 27-year-old heavyweight returned to London's Copper Box Arena and battled his way to a majority decision over Pirotton after 10 difficult rounds. One judge scored the fight 95-95, while Fisher won 96-95 and 98-92 on the other two cards.

It was a win, and it was also another indication that Fisher remains very much a work in progress.

Fisher started well, hurt Pirotton and had moments where his power appeared capable of taking over the fight. But as the rounds passed, Fisher began to tire and Pirotton became increasingly effective. By the later rounds, Fisher was being forced to dig deep against an opponent who wasn't expected to push him that hard.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, those 10 rounds might ultimately prove more valuable than another quick knockout. What would be a mistake is looking at Fisher's popularity, his punching power and his 15-1 record and deciding he's ready to make another significant jump in opposition.

We've already seen what can happen when Fisher is pushed too quickly. Dave Allen provided the warning.

Their first fight in December 2024 should have slowed everything down. Fisher was dropped heavily in the fifth round and eventually escaped with a split decision after 10 rounds, although the decision was widely disputed.

Instead of taking that fight as a sign that Fisher needed more development, they went directly into a rematch — and this time there was no debate. Allen attacked Fisher's body before dropping him with a huge left hook in the fifth round. The fight was over, and Fisher lost for the first time.

To Fisher's credit, he didn't disappear. He made changes, linked up with trainer Tony Sims and returned in December with a fourth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Ivan Balaz.

Pirotton was supposed to be another step in rebuilding Fisher, but it became a serious examination.

And that's OK, because Fisher banked rounds, experienced fatigue, had to fight through uncomfortable moments and learned what happens when a heavyweight doesn't fold after being hit with his best punches.

Those are exactly the experiences Fisher needs at this stage of his career. What he doesn't need is for everyone to immediately start talking about the biggest fight available.

Richard Riakporhe has already publicly offered Fisher a fight for the British heavyweight title. That's exactly the type of fight Fisher's team needs to stay away from. There is no rush.

Fisher is popular enough to headline shows without fighting elite heavyweights. His supporters are going to buy tickets regardless of whether he's fighting a world-ranked contender. That popularity should be used as an advantage.

It gives Fisher something most developing fighters don't have — learning while still making money and headlining events. So use it. Give him another three or four fights that gradually increase in difficulty. There are plenty of realistic opponents.

Harvey Dykes would make sense. He is big, capable and competitive, but he isn't an enormous jump in class. He gave the experienced Ivan Dychko a respectable fight in his first professional defeat, and his name was already mentioned as a possible Fisher opponent before Pirotton was selected.

Then there is Andrew Tabiti. The former cruiserweight world title challenger has considerably more professional experience than Fisher and would present a completely different style. Tabiti has operated at a respectable level, but at heavyweight he isn't the destructive puncher who automatically makes the fight unnecessarily dangerous. He is also considered a realistic possibility for Fisher in the near future.

Solomon Dacres would be another interesting option down the line. He's scheduled to return on October 17, as a massive underdog against undefeated Olympic gold medal winner Bakhodir Jalolov.

Dacres has size and boxing ability and rebounded from his knockout defeat to David Adeleye by producing a mature decision victory over previously unbeaten Vladyslav Sirenko.

At some point, that's a legitimate domestic heavyweight fight without pretending Fisher is suddenly ready for opponents in the top 10.

World title challenger, Dillian Whyte, 38, has also been pitched as a possible foe. Whyte has been out of the ring since August 2025, when he was blown out in the first round by Moses Itauma.

And eventually, if Fisher continues improving, David Adeleye could become a fascinating domestic fight.

But I wouldn't make that one any time soon.

Adeleye can punch, has already stopped Dacres and Jeamie TKV and went 10 rounds with Filip Hrgovic. That's a much more dangerous proposition and exactly the type of fight Fisher should very carefully build toward.

The temptation with Fisher will always be to move quickly because he's popular. Resist it.

Fisher isn't Oleksandr Usyk. He isn't Anthony Joshua coming out of the Olympics with a gold medal, and he isn't Itauma, who was viewed as an exceptional talent almost immediately. Fisher is developing on the job.

His biggest weapons are his physical strength, punching power, aggression and willingness to fight. And his biggest weaknesses are exactly the things that take time to develop — defense, pacing, distance, composure and knowing when not to engage.

The Allen fights exposed some of those problems, while Pirotton showed they haven't completely disappeared. That doesn't mean Fisher can't eventually become a serious player in the heavyweight division. It means there is still work to do before finding out.

Let him continue learning how to fight 10 rounds without emptying the tank. Let him learn how to control fights rather than turning every difficult moment into a firefight. Then start discussing Adeleye, Riakporhe and the British title.

Heavyweights have time. Fisher doesn't need to be rushed into proving what his ceiling is. Because right now the most important thing isn't discovering how good Johnny Fisher is.

It's giving him enough time to become as good as he can be.