FAN-FAVOURITE heavyweight Dave Allen headlines in Sheffield against Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night, and does so with a fresh sense of belief and confidence. Despite his newfound momentum, Allen has labelled himself as a ‘pretty big underdog’.
Allen, 24-7-2 (19 KOs), lost a highly controversial split-decision to Johnny Fisher last December, despite the latter entering the contest as an overwhelming favourite, with some fans fearing for Allen’s health beforehand.
Just five months later, Allen exacted his vengeance with a vicious fifth-round knockout in his rematch with ‘The Romford Bull’, handing Fisher a first career defeat and simultaneously earning a contract with Matchroom Boxing.
Now, Allen tops the bill in South Yorkshire as he rises beyond the domestic circuit to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov, 20-2 (19 KOs), in the first bout of his deal with Eddie Hearn’s promotional outfit.
During the build-up, Allen has remained friendly as ever with his upcoming dance partner, but told Boxing News that he doesn’t see this approach as gamesmanship and declared that nothing before the fight should impact either man.
“Johnny Fisher felt like he did [get too friendly with me] the first time, so he changed it the second time and then I knocked him out, it makes no difference. Nothing matters outside of the ring, in my opinion.
“There is nothing that can happen now, before Saturday, if it’s not physical to me, that can alter me. There is nothing that Makhmudov could do. He could run in here naked now, what difference does that make to me? I don’t care.
“It’s a boxing match, it isn’t that deep really, it’s a boxing match, it’s not personal, I’m not bothered.”
Once feared as a heavyweight bogeyman, Makhmudov’s reputation has been dented by defeats to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello, with Allen previously stating that he can learn from Kabayel’s approach ahead of this fight.
Yet, Allen added his belief that suspicions of Makhmudov lacking the necessary stamina and being weak to the body are wide of the mark, before playing down his own chances in the contest.
“I think that he does fade, we all fade, we all get a bit tired. The Kabayel body punch thing is a bit of a myth, Kabayel was belting him to the body really hard and often, Kabayel did that to Zhang, he has done it to everybody.
“So, I don’t take much heed of what people say. Me, Jamie [Moore] and Nigel [Travis] have watched him, we know what he can and can’t do, we know where he is good and where he is bad.
“We want to try and take advantage of that, but I think that it is a big ask and I think that I am a pretty big underdog, really.
“I think Makhmudov is probably a bit underrated now, he is very dangerous, he is not a world beater but if you’re not a world beater yourself then he will give you a good hiding.”
Should Allen be victorious on Saturday night, lucrative showdowns could be around the corner, with the likes of former world champions Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker being touted as possible future opponents.
However, having made the mistake of looking too far into the future before, Allen reassured his fans that Makhmudov has his full focus.
“He [Eddie Hearn] text me last week saying, ‘win this fight Dave and ooft’, and I thought ‘oh god’.
“I’ve been here before with David Price with the [Alexander] Povetkin thing and I won’t make the same mistake twice, so I don’t give much thought to it [what comes after] really.
“I know how hard Makhmudov is going to be, I rate Makhumdov higher than everyone by the sounds of it, so I don’t think about what is next.”
Allen-Makhmudov will take place on Saturday, October 11, at Sheffield Arena and will be available to watch live on DAZN with a standard subscription.
