I went from writing about bombings in history lectures to fighting on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk undercard

Johnny Fisher could never have imagined his next fight during a history lecture at Exeter University.

But it was here that the seed for his boxing career was planted, ultimately shaping who he is today.

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Now, at 25 years old, he is preparing for the biggest fight of his life, sharing a card with two of boxing’s greatest-ever fighters.

Tyson Fury gets a second chance at Oleksandr Usyk this weekend, after suffering the first defeat of his professional career to the Ukrainian in May.

The pair will share the ring once again, and possibly for the final time, in what many boxing fans, including Usyk himself, have branded the biggest rematch in boxing of all time.

Meanwhile, Fisher takes on his former sparring partner Dave Allen on the undercard of the heavyweight rematch on Saturday’s Riyadh Season bill.

Fisher has sparred with Fury a lot since turning professional at the start of 2021, and credits ‘The Gypsy King’ for teaching him to look after himself in the mad world of boxing.

“One thing he taught me was: look after number one in this game,” Fisher said in an interview with GQ.

“I’ve got good promoters, good managers, but at the end of the day, I’m the guy who goes in there and gets damaged on the head.

“It’s a short career, so make sure you are remunerated properly.”

One-to-one’s with Britain’s heavyweight king definitely wouldn’t have been on the list back when Fisher was playing rugby for Exeter University.

‘The Romford Bull’ says he started playing rugby at his school’s sixth form, before continuing at university in Exeter where he went to study history.

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His dissertation later focused on the aerial bombings of Germany from 1944 to 1945.

Fisher adds he then started boxing as a hobby alongside his rugby in order to keep his fitness up to scratch.

“Then I had an amateur fight at the university, sold out the student union, and won by first round knockout,” he said.

“I started sparring a guy called Joe Joyce for a bit of fun. Joe’s manager picked me up and said, you might as well turn professional.

“Since then it’s been just taking one step at a time.”

Joyce is a former interim heavyweight title holder and lost to Derek Chisora via unanimous decision in his last ring appearance in July.

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Although Fisher has his manager to thank for turning him pro in boxing, there’s also one other person that has had a significant impact on his career.

Fisher finished his degree, but left university early to train in Las Vegas during a period when he was helping his dad sell meat from a van.

He says it was like a ‘24/7’ job during the COVID-19 pandemic when the pair would get back late at night before heading for the train only a matter of hours later early the next morning. 

Fisher’s father, ‘Big John’, was once a boxer too, but is now famously known for his ability to devour mammoth-sized takeaways.

‘Big John’ has over 300,000 more followers than Fisher on Instagram and is one of the UK’s most popular on TikTok with fans who share his love for a Chinese takeaway.

“It meant for my first fight in front of a crowd at the Ally Pally [Alexandra Palace in London, against Gabriel Enguema], we sold 3000 tickets,” Fisher said, referring to his dad’s popularity.

Fisher’s relationship with his dad helped to raise a boxing profile that has developed him into a serious British heavyweight world title challenger.

He boasts a 12-0 professional boxing record, with five of those wins coming by way of first-round finishes.

His last fight against Croatia’s Alen Babic was branded as a step up in challenge, until Fisher stopped it with a barrage of punches after only 36 seconds.

Fisher’s opponent, Allen, is a veteran of punishing fights and wants Fisher to come straight for him when they meet on Saturday night.

“That gives me the best chance of winning the fight,” he told talkSPORT. “I’m a counterpuncher.”

“I knew the Johnny Fisher fight would happen. I thought it was a big domestic fight and that is what was keeping me in the game really.

“I’m a stubborn guy and I know what I want from life. I want to be successful, achieve, have experiences. So I just stuck at it.

“It was costing me money to box but I knew the Fisher fight would happen. I would’ve gone anywhere for this fight.”

Allen has 23 wins and six losses, with two draws, in boxing, and his last defeat came at the hands of Frazer Clarke in 2023 when he was forced to retire due to a perforated eardrum.

The 32-year-old also confirmed that he is backing Fury again for his rematch with Usyk as he believes his fellow Brit can ‘right the wrongs’.

talkSPORT will bring you live commentary of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday, December 21 with our coverage kicking off from 7.30pm