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Zuffa Boxing drafting in Michael Pirotton as Johnny Fisher’s first opponent does little to answer the question marks already hanging over the heavyweight’s lucrative move from Matchroom Boxing. Fisher reportedly received an offer six to eight times higher than Matchroom was prepared to pay before signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing. Even Eddie Hearn admitted the numbers were impossible to compete with and encouraged Fisher to take the life-changing opportunity. Nobody could blame Fisher for doing exactly that. But when that kind of money is being paid, the choice of opponent for his first Zuffa headliner was always going to attract attention. Pirotton, currently #145 in BoxRec’s heavyweight rankings, will face Fisher over ten rounds at London’s Copper Box Arena on September 26. Questions Remain Over Fisher The matchmaking is particularly interesting because Fisher arrived at Zuffa with significant doubts already against his name following two fights with Dave Allen. Fisher controversially won their first meeting by split decision before Allen stopped “The Romford Bull” in five rounds in the rematch. Zuffa still saw enough value to make Fisher an offer Matchroom simply couldn’t compete with. A recognizable British heavyweight on home soil could have immediately tested where Fisher stands after those two performances. Instead of taking that route, Zuffa went with Pirotton for Fisher’s first headline fight. The Belgian is 12-2 with six knockouts and has never been stopped. However, both defeats came on points against Piotr Lacz and Juan Alberts, while his latest victory came against Jiovani Sheik, who entered their fight with a 1-1 record. Pirotton, who is the #3 heavyweight in his homeland behind Ryad Merhy and Jack Mulowayi, has also never fought beyond eight rounds. Fisher’s Commercial Value Away from the matchmaking, there is clearly considerable commercial value attached to Fisher beyond his 14-1 boxing record. Fisher has around 285,000 Instagram followers, while his father, John Fisher, has approximately 797,000 on the same platform. “Big John” has also built a cult following in the UK through his food content and “Bosh” persona, attracting more than 500,000 followers on TikTok. Father and son therefore command more than one million Instagram followers between them before Big John’s TikTok audience is even considered. When a promotional company is reportedly prepared to pay six to eight times what an established rival offered, the commercial value of that audience is impossible to overlook. Fisher was absolutely right to take the money, particularly when his former promoter effectively told him to do so. Zuffa Boxing’s Fisher Test The red flag is whether Zuffa’s investment will eventually be justified inside the ring and why Fisher commanded that level of investment to begin with. Whether Fisher’s considerable social value played a part or the deal was influenced by the rivalry between White and Hearn, Zuffa’s first choice of opponent has done little to provide an answer. About the Author Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.