For the past year, Dave Allen has been on the comeback trail most thought impossible. Written off after years of setbacks and inactivity, the Doncaster heavyweight stunned British boxing in May when he stopped rising star Johnny Fisher in spectacular fashion. A victory that not only just revived Allen’s career with him signing for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, but also reignited public affection for one of the sport’s most honest, entertaining characters.
Five months later, Allen walked into Sheffield’s Utilita Arena leaner, sharper, and seemingly reborn. Across from him stood the formidable Arslanbek Makhmudov, a fearsome Russian with a 20-2 record and 95% Knockout ratio. He had picked this opponent himself so as to motivate him to train the hardest he ever has. For Allen, this was more than a fight; it was a chance to prove that his fairy tale return could stand up to world-level competition, with him being promised a clash against a top ten heavyweight if he was to win.
With chants of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” and “There’s only one Dave Allen!” echoing around the arena after every significant blow landed by the Doncasterian, his best spell came in the fifth round after wobbling Makhmudov with great body work and uppercuts followed by a looping right hand. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the Russian’s endless jabs which along with his significant size advantage caused the White Rhino to slow down his charge. The Russian dictated the pace, putting Allen on the back foot for the majority of the bout.
Unfortunately, the White Rhino’s fairytale story ended with heartbreak on Saturday night as the Doncaster heavyweight was outboxed by Makhmudov. Even with two point deductions against Makhmudov for persistent holding, the wide scorecards of 115-111, 116-110, and 117-109, sealed a unanimous decision victory for the Russian giant.
For Makhmudov, this win springs him to the fringe of world class heavyweights with him calling for a fight against two-time former heavyweight World Champion, Anthony Joshua who is set to make his return to the ring early next year. A potentially useful fight to take off AJ’s ring rust after his shocking defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Despite the painful onslaught, Dave Allen refused to let his corner pull him out before the 12th round as to not let the fans down. He gave a valiant show of heart and made it to the final bell of the 12th and was humble in his defeat saying ”I’m just not good enough but that’s alright”. He also told DAZN that he would be back and that his story isn’t over yet. We will have to wait and see what Eddie Hearn has in store for The White Rhino but there were references to potential British and European title fights in his post-fight reaction.
While Dave Allen didn’t manage to get his fairy tale ending he managed to reminded everyone just how tough he is and why we love to watch him fight.
