What’s Next For Dave Allen Following Stunning Knockout of Johnny Fisher?
Doncaster’s Dave Allen is one of British boxing’s greatest characters. The White Rhino has had his fair share of troubles in recent years, but they got put firmly in the rearview mirror on May 17th with a brutal knockout victory against up-and-coming heavyweight Johnny Fisher at the Copper Box in London.
The two titans met initially in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II back in December. Online boxing betting providers made the ‘Donny De La Hoya’ a huge underdog for that particular contest, primarily because he had boxed just a handful of rounds since a scary stoppage defeat to David Price back in 2019. However, despite being the older and more inactive fighter, it was Allen who seemingly dominated proceedings in the Arabian Gulf before losing via split decision in one of boxing’s many great robberies.
In the rematch, the proud Yorkshireman wouldn’t leave his fate in the judges’ hands.
Allen Starches Fisher
Heading into the rematch, Allen repeatedly stated that he didn’t think his younger, inexperienced opponent should have taken a second fight against him. He said that Fisher wasn’t that good a boxer, and that his own experience and boxing skills would be too much for the Essex native to handle. Ultimately, he was right.
Much like in the initial fight, Allen was a betting underdog once again. The boxing betting at Bovada odds on fight night had him listed as a 3.20 outsider, with Fisher listed as the 1.40 favorite. And although the underdog would have to weather an early storm, his pre-fight statements would go on to ring true.
Throughout the first four rounds, Fisher pushed the action, but in doing so, he used up much of his energy reserves. Once Allen felt the younger man begin to tire, he burst into life. Toward the end of round five, he dropped the pre-fight favorite with a heavy combination. Fisher beat the count, but Allen wasn’t finished, pummeling his opponent on the ropes before delivering a brutal three-punch combination, with two shots downstairs and a savage left hook to the head, which closed the show.
After the fight, Allen was somewhat subdued in victory. In interviews since, he has stated that it was a show of respect to Fisher and his family, who were situated in the front row. He has also stated that he never doubted that he would leave London with the victory, and as such, considered the win somewhat hollow.
What’s Next?
The knockout win has opened plenty of doors for Doncaster’s favorite son. He has been re-signed by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and some huge fights could well be on the horizon. As well as that, he has been sought out by bucketloads of media platforms seeking an interview, one of which was with esteemed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, in which he hilariously stated that he would like to fight some washed-up big names, proclaiming “it doesn’t matter if they were 47, I still beat them.”
So, with that in mind, what could be next for Dave Allen? Here are two suggestions.
Deontay Wilder
While Dave Allen has only really fought at a fringe level, there are fewer big names in the heavyweight division than that of Deontay Wilder, and he certainly falls into the “washed-up” category. The Bronze Bomber was once the most feared puncher on the planet, building up a stunning 40-0 record with 39 knockouts. Those victories led him to the WBC heavyweight title.
We curated Deontay Wilder’s top 5 KO’s of all-time!
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) June 1, 2024
Will he add Zhang to this impressive list? 👀 pic.twitter.com/iCsgJybE2L
However, at the age of 39, he has lost four of his last five fights-three by knockout-and he certainly seems to be on the way out.
Allen has stated a few times that he would fight any man, Wilder included. A clash between the two would draw huge numbers in the UK, perhaps even selling out the O2 Arena. However, he may well want a couple of warm-up fights before stepping into the ring with such a fearsome puncher, even if Wilder is in the twilight of his career.
Kubrat Pulev
Dave Allen: World Heavyweight Champion? Why not?
The WBA is a strange boxing organization that has two world champions. Oleksandr Usyk is unquestionably the main man, and he holds the ‘Super’ title. However, the WBA also has a ‘Regular’ champion in the form of Kubrat Pulev, a man that Allen certainly could beat on his day.
The Bulgarian, much like Allen, has always been somewhat of a fringe contender. Unlike the White Rhino, he has had world title shots. He lost to Wladimir Klitschko in his maiden title challenge back in 2014, before being brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua six years later.
At the ripe old age of 43, he narrowly outpointed long-serving WBA Regular Champion Mahmoud Charr back in December to claim a version of the world title at the third time of asking. However, he is hardly a fearsome challenge for the mighty Allen, and the Brit would certainly be in with a shot of securing the victory should the two meet in the near future.
