Mark Tibbs watched Johnny Fisher spar and identified Alen Babic as his next opponent.
The heavyweight bout takes place at London's Copper Box Arena on Saturday and will be the 25-year-old Fisher's most highly-anticipated and toughest fight yet.
Like Fischer, the Croatian Babić has built a reputation for being involved in highly entertaining bouts promoted by Matchroom, but Fischer's trainer Tibbs knew him from before his professional debut.
When Dillian Whyte, who was working under Tibs at the time and recording some of his best performances and biggest wins, was preparing to fight Oscar Rivas in July 2019, Babich was hired as a sparring partner and made an impression on the trainer for the first time.
After watching Fisher up close, Tibs was not satisfied with Fisher's shortlist of potential opponents for Saturday's bout and asked that the 33-year-old Babic be used as the featured fighter.
Babich was stopped in first round by Lukasz Rozanski in April 2023 at a lesser-rated bridgeweight division, but like Fischer, he remains unbeaten at heavyweight and Tibbs believes he has the ability to test Fischer with an ambition that other opponents have lacked.
“I suggested it to Jonny,” the trainer said, “I looked at the opponents they gave me and the guys who are ranked above him in the British top 10 and there's still a fight going on between them.”
“There were some Americans before me and I thought, 'If he gets rid of them, nothing will develop. If he doesn't get rid of them, it will look bad.' [Gerald] Washington; [Mariusz] Haha, there were a few others but I didn't think they would do Johnny any favours.
“I just [Babic]”I'll tell you the name, just think about it,” he said, and walked away. And the next thing I knew, it was over. If we got our game plan right, Johnny was going to be an even bigger star than he is now.
“like [Babic’s] Fighting style. You don't have to look for him. If you look at his recent fights, it's a win for the fans. As long as there's a guy who wants to fight, wants to win, and is here to win, there's no safety. But [Fisher’s] “He just won a district title and he's going to go out there and fight whoever he wants to beat. He's going to get punched in the jaw and he's going to bounce back. Alen Babic is a very proud man. I know him very well.”
“When he first came to the UK, Dillian hired him to spar against Rivas. The day I picked him up, I went to Nando's with him. A lovely old man, a really lovely bloke. A real fighter. Old-fashioned. Didn't want to bother with S&C, just wanted to fight. So I know him really well.”
“It won't be an easy win. We have to use the right tactics and we're not going to underestimate him, but Johnny has what it takes to beat him.”
“He just wanted a war right away. He's not afraid of a war. He doesn't care. He hit Dillian in the first round. I was like, 'Hold on, hold on, hold on, we're fighting in a few weeks'.”[Dillian said] “No, no. Mark, let him go. Mark, let him go.' But he was great, Allen. He was great. 'Al, just calm down a little bit. Please.' He's a great character. He's a competitive guy and he's going to put up a heated fight.”
Fisher was the Boxing Writers Club's Young Fighter of the Year last year, and is a popular prospect whose value lies mainly in his ability to sell large numbers of tickets on fight day, though opinion is divided as he remains unproven.
“We can't afford to make any mistakes,” Tibbs continued. “I'm up for it. We're up for it. We can't afford to make any mistakes. We don't want to stagnate, we don't want to let the British people down. They're spending a lot of money. He's selling a lot of tickets. We want to go out there and bring Jonny in and keep developing him, developing his confidence and all that.”
“[Babic is] A wild swinger. A little quirky. But I think that's just what we want.
“[Fisher’s] He has a big heart. But heart alone is not enough. There are levels. All we can do is keep polishing him, making him cute. Making him calm a little. He is doing that. His [stoppage of Dmytro Bezus in Las Vegas in February in his past] The fight – His punches were perfect, he was a little wild in the first round but once he twisted his opponent he executed it instantly.
“'Hold your right hand straight out.' Swing it wide. 'What's wrong?' 'Now bend it a little bit, but not too much.' I like working with people like that, working with people who listen and trust me.”
“He believes he can. [reach the same level as Whyte]He has heart. He has the work ethic. We have to keep working hard. We will fight for the British title. If he wins the British title, the world will be his.”
