Johnny Fisher pinpointed a mindset change over the past six months as key to the incremental improvements that have seen him blossom, before doubling down on his desire to box in Australia this year.

The rising British heavyweight talent (12-0, 11 KOs) scored a 36-second stoppage win over Alen Babic in his first headline bout at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, silencing critics who still dismiss him as little more than a ticket-seller in the sport’s glamour division.

He cited former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s training discipline as an example to follow, watching the 34-year-old refuse to rest on his laurels and keep ticking over on home soil following an emphatic second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, four months ago.

“A week later he was doing pull-ups and swimming in the pool, that just clicked in my head – if I want to be a professional athlete, everything has got to be tightened up now as you move up the levels.

“Food and sleep’s got to be better, everything I do has to be stepped up and that’s the bare minimum as an athlete, that corner is being turned. It’s also about tactics and being relaxed in the mind as well, I’ve really turned a corner with that over the past six months.”

In terms of steady progression, Eddie Hearn outlined a roadmap for the 25-year-old, who won the Southern Area title at Harry Armstrong’s expense 11 months ago. Plenty has changed since then.

Domestic opposition at title level are currently held up – Solomon Dacres defends his English strap against David Adeleye later this month, while Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke 2 is expected for the final quarter of 2024.

Seasoned pro Dave Allen, who counts Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz, Tony Yoka and Clarke among his former opponents, was mentioned as a potential foe to give Fisher some valuable rounds.

Fisher would be keen for that, and honored to fight any of the aforementioned quartet – revealing British champion Wardley is an inspiration given both have emerged from a similar novice background. As for Australia, what’s the appeal there?

“I went out there after my Vegas fight, the fanbase out there is unbelievable. My dad, big John, got 5,000 out there for a DJ set… imagine a fight over there in Newcastle or Sydney, two hotspots for us, get a fight on a Liam Paro undercard and I’ll do 5-6,000 tickets easily.

“What a great place, that’s what boxing’s about, making memories. It’s not always about money, I want to look back in 20-30 years and say I went and did that, boxed there.”

New IBF world junior-welterweight champion Paro won’t have his homecoming bout until November or December time and after a quick night’s work, Hearn sounded hopeful he could keep Fisher active in the interim, hinting at a possible return on the Jack Catterall vs. Regis Prograis undercard on August 24.