LONDON’S Copperbox Arena in London this weekend, on July 6, is where Romford’s young, charismatic and explosive heavyweight prospect, Johnny Fisher, will face by far the most difficult test of his career so far in the personage of Alen Babic.

Babic, from Croatia, has earned a deserved reputation for violence in and out of the ring. Carrying the mean countenance of a stereotypical Bond villain, his popularity with purists of the game has been earned not via the application of a slick boxing skillset but by the unbridled deployment of mass artillery.

In other words he doesn’t play, Alen Babic. He comes to seek and destroy. Johnny Fisher does likewise, which is why this particular fight has a distinct “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” flavour to it.

It’s always nice to see two evenly matched fighters face one another at the same point in their careers, which is precisely what we have here. At age 25 Fisher has won all 11 of his pro fights thus far fought, with 10 of this wins by KO. Babic, the older man at 33, has fought 12 times, losing once, with 11 knockouts to his credit.

Fisher has in just a short space of time has become hugely popular in his home town of Romford. This to the point where thousands turn up whenever and wherever he’s fighting. Trained by Mark Tibbs, his come forward all-action aggressive style is offset by his quiet manner on the other side of the ropes.

The proud holder of a history degree from Essex University, The Romford Bull, as he’s known, belies the common assumptions held towards heavyweight fighters, which feeds into the hopes placed in him by Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn as a future star of the sport.

Babic is determined to spoil this particular party, though, claiming that Fisher and Hearn have taken this fight with him “too soon.” It was Mike Tyson who famously quipped that “everybody has a gameplan until they get punched in the mouth.” With those wise words in mind, and considering the fierce punching power of both Fisher and Babic, if this clash goes the distance it will not only defy the odds but also the laws of physics.

Stepping back, British heavyweight boxing is currently serving up more entertainment than a Butlins Holiday Camp. With the recent signing of Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois, scheduled for Wembley Stadium on September 21, and with Fury scheduled to rematch Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh in December, the Brits have never been better represented in the division.

When it comes to AJ and Dubois, the story doing the rounds that Dubois once dropped the former in sparring has helped shape a narrative that has already got under Joshua’s skin. At a recent face-off between them, alongside their respective promoters — Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren — they had to be kept apart by a group of security guards who should’ve been in capes instead of T-shirts.

Joshua is enjoying something of a renaissance in a career that has been informed by more turbulence than a jumbo jet on a transatlantic flight. At one point, he appeared to have suffered a mental breakdown of sorts, responsible for him lapsing into the kind of introspection and self-evaluation that is a dangerous luxury in a business in which overanalysis and thinking can get a man hurt.

But, no, finally after changing trainers multiple times after splitting from former amateur coach and longtime professional trainer, Rob McCracken, he’s forged a successful partnership with Ben Davison.

It has seen him register four wins on the bounce after his second defeat at the hands of the aforementioned Oleksandr Usyk.

In a recent interview, AJ voiced his desire to establish a care home for former fighters suffering the physical and cognitive consequences of a ring career. Such an endeavour would be to anyone’s immense credit in a business that is awash with money but increasingly bereft of moral principles over and above.

For every AJ and Tyson Fury, there are dozens, if not more, fighters who make a relative pittance out of the sport and pay for the pleasure dearly later on.

“Boxing is the only sport you can get your brain shook, your money took and your name in the undertaker book,” legendary heavyweight Joe Frazier said only half-jokingly once upon a time, begging again the question of just what kind of sport is it?

This brings us on to another all British heavyweight encounter that is set to take place this month — on July 27 at the O2 in London, to be precise. It involves Joe Joyce against Derek Chisora in a non-title bout with danger stamped all over it.

Chisora is British and world heavyweight boxing’s forever man. The 40-year-old veteran has been involved in some of the most bruising contests of any fighter in the modern era, yet is determined to go on, it seems, until the end of time. While his courage and tenacity are not in doubt, his judgement now is.

Retirement, where he’s concerned, is a dirty word and an alien concept. This is where promoters, trainers, friends and others around him should step in. Archie Moore may have fought on into his forties, but Moore was a defensive genius who rarely took a clean shot.

A fighter who’s had more lickings than a cat’s paw down through the years, let us hope that Chisora knows something the rest of us don’t and is not lining himself up to be the first patient at AJ’s planned care home for former fighters.