What to Know
- Zuffa Boxing stages its third card in the UK, returning for Zuffa Boxing 11 at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, September 26
- Popular British heavyweight Johnny Fisher faces Belgium’s Michael Pirotton in the main event.
- Craig Richards will enjoy a hometown appearance in the co-main event against Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.
- The Zuffa Boxing 11 card airs on Paramount+ with prelims at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT, and the main card at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.
This weekend’s only major boxing card takes place in London, England on Saturday, September 26. Zuffa Boxing 11 features the first appearance of popular British heavyweight Johnny Fisher under the Zuffa banner at his favorite venue, the Copper Box Arena.
“The Romford Bull” Fisher (14-1, 12 KOs) faces Michael Pirotton of Belgium (12-2, 6 KOs) in a fight scheduled for ten rounds.
In the co-main event, light heavyweight contender Craig Richards of London (20-4-1, 13 KOs) takes on Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic of Serbia (30-3, 22 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
The main card includes the first notable women’s bout between Zuffa’s first signed female fighter in her pro debut. Super lightweight Kayla Allen of London faces veteran and former title challenger Edina Kiss of Hungary (17-21, 10 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Main Event: Fisher vs Pirotton
Fisher bounced back from his only loss a year ago in a rematch against domestic rival Dave Allen. Allen has since struggled, blasted out in a title-challenge loss to Filip Hrgovic, and then walked through a bizarre no-contest against Trevor McCumby on the Katie Taylor card in Dublin.
Fisher has had a single TKO win since his loss to Allen and hopes to jump-start his stalled momentum to rejoin the contenders in a heavyweight division in transition between generations. His devoted fans will pack the Copper Box Arena to support him.
Pirotton stands at a super heavyweight 6-foot-5. The 30-year-old has a thin resume with two losses but has two stoppage wins so far in 2026. He is a familiar face who has trained in England and sparred with Joe Joyce.
Allen weighed in at 243 pounds, Pirotton weighed in at 240.6 pounds.
Pirotton: ‘Tune In And Find Out’
Pirotton is aware the British fans will turn out to support Fisher and completely overlook him. He likes flying under the radar. “You know, people not knowing you is a disadvantage in 90 percent of the cases, and it’s only an advantage in this case. So just tune in, guys, and you can find out,” said Pirotton.
“I’m 30, and I need to present myself to the boxing fans and be able to mix up with the top guys, so it’s a great introduction.”
Fisher: ‘I Need to Win’
Fisher ends a 294-day layoff, returning to a comfortable venue, determined to put things right and secure bigger fights with a solid outing on Saturday. Fisher, trained by Tony Sims, said the pressure is on him to perform against underdog Pirotton.
“I need to win. That’s all that matters. Boxing is a hazardous sport … Of course, we all want to see a knockout, but first and foremost I need to win,” said Fisher. “One thing’s for sure, if a warrior is worried about coming home, he’s not worth anything as a warrior. So, I’m going to go in there and give 110%.
“And if that means I have to go out on my shield again, I will, because that’s the game we play. That’s what I signed up for.”
Co-Main Event: Richards and Hot Rod Roll the Dice
The co-main event lines up as the fight of the night between two entertaining light heavyweights who have delivered several all-action fights between them. Craig “Spider” Richards (20-4, 13 KOs) takes on hard-hitting Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic of Serbia (30-3, 22 KOs), now based in Florida, in a battle of seasoned, dangerous pros.
Richards weighed in at 174.2 pounds, Kalajdzic at 174.5 pounds.
Richards has come up short in title fights, but he gave Dmitriy Bivol his toughest test in 2021, then suffered a narrow loss to Joshua Buatsi in another competitive bout. After a loss to Willy Hutchinson by decision, Richards has won his last two fights against Padraig McCrory and Dan Azeez.
Asked if he feels his back is against the wall in his Zuffa debut, Richards said “Every fight is important going into my career from this stage on. You see, all of my last few fights must win fights to push on if I want to push on for the world title. So, I take every fight as serious as the last.”
Last year, Richards returned to his original trainer Tony Sims after several years working with Shane McGuigan. He trained alongside Fisher for Saturday’s card, and says they’re locked in.
Kalajdzic made a big splash in his Zuffa debut, knocking out former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk at Zuffa Boxing 02. His losses came to elite names: Artur Beterbiev, David Morrell, and Marcus Browne in his prime.
“I feel like I improved over the years. And I feel like after this win, I would definitely get and I’m looking forward to a title shot,” said Kalajdzic.
See the Zuffa Boxing 11 final news conference Thursday.
Middleweights Greene vs Cutler
In an all-British bragging rights battle Louis “Medway Mauler” Greene of Dorsey (16-2, 8 KOs) takes on Bournemouth’s Lee “Chaos” Cutler of Bournemouth (19-4, 12 KOs) in 50-50 matchup between two motivated opponents. Cutler scored a TKO win in his Zuffa Boxing debut when opponent Aaron Sutton suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Cutler hopes for a more definitive contest against Greene, who earned a decision victory over Daniel Buciuc in his Zuffa Boxing debut in August. Greene is riding a three-fight win streak. Both men know a win moves them forward in Zuffa’s middleweight roster.
Greene weighed in at 159.1 pounds, Cutler weighed in at 159.5 pounds.
Kayla Allen Debuts As Zuffa’s First Female Boxer
The main card opens with the Zuffa Boxing debut of a rising star in British boxing. Kayla Allen became both a European and Elite Senior National champion as an amateur.
Now Allen is turning pro at age 22 and made the decision to sign on with Zuffa as its first woman on the roster. She will step out against the experienced Edina Kiss, who lost a title challenge to Amanda Serrano.
Allen weighed in at 142.9 pounds, Kiss weighed in at 142 pounds.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
