IN round three of a fun heavyweight fight in London tonight (April 20), Lucas Browne, an Easter egg-shaped heavyweight from Australia, was cracked in half by a left hook to the body thrown by Doncaster’s Dave Allen.
The fight, criticised by some beforehand, was bubbling up nicely but mostly dictated by Browne, 40, the more experience of the two, through the first couple of rounds. Composed and patient, the former WBA titleholder appeared to be placing his shots well and picking Allen apart with some clever uppercuts and hooks on the inside. It was slow but effective work; Browne’s greater experience seemed to put him in the ascendancy.
Yet Allen, 27, a plucky underdog (the narrow favourite for this one, though) with a feverish fan base, is used to starting slow and coming on strong and appeared perfectly content to stick around and wait for his moment. The moment then came in the third when ‘The White Rhino’, ducking a wayward Browne right hand, rolled underneath and snuck in a left hook to the body. The course of the fight changed immediately and Browne, as soon as the shot landed, was robbed of all he had built up, the wind taken out of him.
There was no indication he was going to beat the count and so it proved. Fight stopped at 58-second mark of the third round, the win is the biggest of Allen’s career.
“I want more now, I’m greedy,” said Allen, 17-4-2 (14). “I proved I can punch at the highest level. He’s not what he once was but it’s a very good win. A very good win. This tops the Nick Webb night. The left hook to the body was beautiful.
“I’m unbeatable at my pace – a snail’s pace.”
Dave Allen may be prone to operating at a snail’s pace inside the ring, but he has momentum, he is cheekily calling out Anthony Joshua for a June 1 fight, and he has built a following many of his peers can only dream of. He is likeable, he has a compelling story, and now, with a win over a former world champion, is beginning to amass the kind of wins that could see him achieve something more than cult hero status and win some major titles.
“Who knows how far he can go?” said promoter Eddie Hearn.
On the undercard, Dereck Chisora bagged 10 rounds against Germany’s negative Senad Gashi but did little to persuade anyone he deserves the shot of a lifetime against Anthony Joshua on June 1 at Madison Square Garden, New York. Scores were 100-90, 100-91, 99-91.
