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Michael Pirotton | Silence Is Golden | Zuffa Boxing 11
Belgian Heavyweight Michael Pirotton Is Ready To Show Up And Silence The London Crowd With An Upset Victory Over Johnny Fisher At Zuffa Boxing 11
For Belgium’s Michael Pirotton, Zuffa Boxing 11 is the perfect stage for him to take the next step in his boxing career, and he said he plans to hit the mute button on Johnny Fisher’s boisterous fans inside the Copper Box Arena by defeating their hero in Saturday night’s main event.
The 12-2 heavyweight from Sprimont, Liege, is in London for his main event assignment against local hero and high-profile Zuffa Boxing signing, Johnny Fisher. It’s a fight that puts Fisher on a platform in front of his own fans, but Pirotton plans on stealing the stage for himself.
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“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,” he told UFC.com this week. “Johnny is really popular in the UK, and the UK is one of the main countries for boxing, so I know the British boxing fans are really proud and stand behind their guys, and they all overlook me. But I think that's the last time they're gonna do it.”
Pirotton has seen the media swirling around Fisher, whose character and popularity have made this fight appointment viewing this Saturday night. But the Belgian has also been scouting his man carefully, and said their paths almost crossed in the gym in the past. But now they get to throw leather for real.
Michael Pirotton 'I'm About To Break The Window' | Zuffa Boxing 11
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Michael Pirotton 'I'm About To Break The Window' | Zuffa Boxing 11
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“I watched him fight on the undercards he’s been blessed to fight on,” said Pirotton. “One time we actually tried to spar him, but he was abroad – I think on the camp with Joe Joyce. So yeah, I was training in Essex, and we tried to spar him one time a long time ago. But that's the only thing I know [of] him. From his reputation, when I spar in the other gyms in the UK, I know he's a really popular guy with no amateur background, like I am – except I'm not popular!”
As the visiting fighter stepping into enemy territory, Pirotton knows he’s going to face the boos from the London crowd. But the 30-year-old has been the road fighter for much of his career, so he measures his success not in cheers, but in the silence his wins generate when he beats the hometown hero.
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“You expect animosity [from the crowd] when you step into the ring,” he said. “So I'm focused on him. During the walkout, I don’t think I’ll even notice the people – just the noise.
“I've been fighting abroad all my career to go make my money, so the people are always more cheering for the [other] guy. And if he gives you a jab, they cheer like he knocked you out, and if you take his head off, there’s just silence. So I’ll wait for the silence.”
While Fisher is a household name here in England, Pirotton is a relative unknown outside of his native Belgium. But he said that suits him just fine, and said that flying under the radar is the ideal scenario ahead of a fight like this.
“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.”
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A proud representative of his home nation of Belgium, as well as his roots in Burkina Faso, Pirotton wants to be a shining example of how determination and hard work can take you to success.
“When you're fighting out of Belgium from a West African background, you're not in the best condition to make it,” he explained. “And I don't have an amateur background because back in the day the national team in Belgium was not doing great. I wanted to open the door. I couldn't, so now I'm about to break the window.”
Pirotton was inspired by the life and career of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, hence his fighting moniker of “Bomaye,” but he also fights for a bigger cause, as he looks to bring attention to Burkina Faso, where the country is engaged in a battle with terrorism.
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“He had to face a lot of adversity, and he kept standing for his own principles and for his people, even when he was wrongly accused of a lot of things, and so that's the man every man would like to be,” he said. “We be able to be loyal to what you believe in, whether it's in boxing, in sport, you just want to be a better person and try to help your home, and that's why I got into boxing.
“Even if I'm not even a tiny percentage of what Muhammad Ali was, I want to play my part. I want to help my people back in Burkina. Burkina Faso is in a situation where we are fighting against terrorism and imperialism at the same time.
“Burkina is a small country, most people don't know it, and if I can make a few people proud and shout out to them, that's what I'm gonna do for now. And if I get to the money, I'm gonna go back there and rebuild the country. Great things are happening in Burkina.”
That pride in his roots will be on display when he competes against Fisher on Saturday night, where he hopes to claim the biggest victory of his career to take himself to the next level, where bigger fights and more lucrative paydays await.
When we asked what he would like to happen if he gets the victory this weekend, Pirotton said, “Either the [chance] to develop and have like five or six fights to build to a crescendo, and getting to the level where I was supposed to be already. Or, give me the money, man!”
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