TRAINER Jamie Moore is staying focused on the present after Dave Allen’s career-defining win over Johnny Fisher last night at the Copper Box Arena.
The heavyweight clash ended in round five when Allen’s deceptive power floored ‘The Romford Bull’ with clubbing shots, followed by a barrage of body blows and a decisive left hook that prompted Fisher’s corner to throw in the towel.
Allen’s 24th career win has revitalised the 33-year-old, who now eyes a headline fight in his hometown of Sheffield, with promoter Eddie Hearn backing a top-of-the-bill clash for the 24-7-2 (19 KOs) fan favourite. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it because if I start thinking about the future I’m taking myself out of the present and I just want to enjoy this moment,” Moore told Boxing News post-fight.
British heavyweight champion David Adeleye was ringside, and Allen may target a shot at the yet-to-be-confirmed rematch between Adeleye and Jeamie Tshikeva. Reflecting on his five-year journey with Allen, Moore hailed the victory which is one of 2025’s feel-good moments. “He’s been slow and steady on and off. A couple of times when he said, ‘I’m not fighting anymore,’ I said ‘Sound, no worries but if you ever need me not just for boxing but for anything else I’m on the end of the phone I’ll always be there for you.’ And we’ve created a nice relationship.
“I feel like recently, last six, nine months he trusts me now and getting Dave Allen to trust someone is like trying to get a man to walk on Mars. It’s a hard job to do. Especially what happened in Saudi. I said to him [what] would happen if he followed through with it [and it] played out. In interviews, he said: ‘I don’t trust anyone. But if Jamie tells me to do something I trust him.’ That’s probably the biggest compliment I could ever be paid because I know how much it takes for Dave Allen to say that about someone.”
Allen first faced Fisher five months ago on the Usyk-Fury 2 undercard in Riyadh, a gruelling 10-round battle where Allen dropped Fisher in the fifth but lost a contentious decision. Many felt Allen deserved the win. Asked what changed this time, Moore said: “Conditioning. In that fifth round in Saudi, it was like a light bulb moment. Even though it was a short camp, he saw the rewards of committing to training. He’s never looked back. For this rematch, he had 11 weeks. His conditioning and self-belief were far better, and you’ve seen the rewards.”
