Allen is preparing for one of his toughest test yet on Saturday, but ahead of fight night, the heavyweight veteran reflected on chaotic preparations for his fight with David Price in 2019
Dave Allen has admitted to ‘going missing’ weeks before taking on the hard-hitting David Price.
The ‘White Rhino’ returns to the ring tonight when he takes on Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield. Victory on fight night could open up a route to the biggest names in the heavyweight divsion for the 33-year-old Doncaster native.
Allen was last seen in action back in May, delivering a career-best performance, stopping Johnny Fisher in their rematch – just months after their controversial initial encounter. As the heavyweight veteran gears up for yet another big night under the lights, the Brit took time to recall the build-up to one of his previous fights.
Back in 2019, Allen took on fellow British heavyweight David Price for the vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title. Victory would have earned the ‘White Rhino’ a shot at Alexander Povetkin after a deal was seemingly agreed. However, the build-up to his fight with Price could not have been any worse. In what was supposed to be a close encounter, Allen’s rival forced the Brit to retire in the 10th round.
“That was a really bad time,” Allen said. “I went missing for the four or five weeks before that fight. I had just bought a house and the mattress was rolled up. I just slept on the floor because I couldn’t build the bed. I would be chilling on the floor watching the TV all day. I would go to the chip shop once a day and eat my only meal of the day. Looking back on it now, it’s mad. I can’t believe I was such an idiot.”
After suffering the fifth defeat of his professional career to Price, Allen got himself in shape. He then picked up four-straight knockout victories before suffering an agonising defeat to Frazer Clarke back in 2023. Now back in heavyweight contention following his win over Fisher, the Brit’s showdown with Makhmudov could have huge implications – amid talks of a potential clash with Deontay Wilder.
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Speaking ahead of his fight with the Russian, Allen said: “People keep asking me what’s next, but this is my world title fight. This is the biggest fight of my career. I don’t fight for the money. I don’t fight for any of that stuff. The money is great, it is what it is, I don’t see it anyway – my Mrs spends it I never see it. I want the respect now. I want people to say that I’m a top-class Heavyweight. I have to beat this man to do that.”
He added: “I’ll probably never be heavyweight champion on the world, but if I beat this man to my left, people will say that I’m a top top Heavyweight, and that is all I want. This is my World Title fight on Saturday, this is it for me. When I’m in the moody I’m a very very hard man to shift.”
What time is Dave Allen fight?
Dave Allen is set to return to the ring on Saturday night when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield. Coverage is expected to get underway at around 6pm UK time (1pm ET / 10am PT / 12pm CT). In the main event, Makhmudov will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Allen set to follow immediately after.
The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.