By Sam Brookes

Copyright independent

Dave Allen will top the bill in his hometown this weekend when he faces the big-punching Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of 9,000 fans in Sheffield, live on DAZN.

It has been some turnaround for the 33-year-old, who has suffered some major setbacks during his 13 years as a professional.

The biggest of the lot came back in 2019 when he left the ring on a stretcher after being stopped by fellow Brit, David Price.

His career appeared to be in tatters after that devastating loss, but Allen has rebuilt over the last six years to set up the biggest fight of his life on Saturday night. Here’s how he did it.

Allen entered the July 2019 fight in career-best form after winning his previous four bouts.

Just three months earlier he had stopped former world champion Lucas Browne inside three rounds, and many felt he could overcome the Olympic medallist Price, who had been knocked out multiple times before.

But Allen was unable to get into the fight at all. Price dictated the tempo from the opening bell as he punished Allen round after round. After 10 rounds, Allen told his corner he could not continue, and the fight was waved off.

Things then took a turn for the worse. Allen was struggling after taking significant damage and was fitted with an oxygen mask before being taken out of the ring on a stretcher. He was transported to hospital for further checks before being released and it seemed likely he would walk away from the sport for good.

Allen returned to the ring seven months after losing to Price to get a win under his belt but then announced his retirement in November 2020.

He turned his attention to training young fighters around the Doncaster area as he gained experience of seeing boxing from the other side of the ropes. The break seemed to do wonders for him as he rediscovered his love for the sport. In April 2021, Allen confirmed he would be making a comeback but that he wanted to box at a “low level” and “enjoy boxing”.

He ruled out taking a big fight immediately, focusing instead on rebuilding his confidence and trying to get his career firmly back on track.

Allen had previously rushed through the levels before being brought back down to earth throughout his career.

He had been comfortably beaten by the likes of Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz, Tony Yoka and Price, proving he did not belong at the top level. It would have been easy for him to chase another big payday and taken another loss, but he kept to his word of fighting at a level where he could be competitive.

Following his retirement U-turn, Allen won three straight fights on small hall shows and was not taken beyond the second round in any of them. None of his opponents were big names but that did not matter. It was all about gaining confidence, gathering momentum and building towards his next big fight.

As he moved into the second half of 2023, Allen decided he was ready to take the next step once again.

Allen accepted a fight with Frazer Clarke in September 2023. Taking on an Olympic bronze medallist looked like the perfect measuring stick to see if Allen could compete with the best prospects in the heavyweight division.

But the fight quickly turned into a scrappy affair, with Clarke warned for repeated low blows. He was deducted two points for hitting below the belt in the sixth round and appeared close to being disqualified before Allen pulled out due to a perforated eardrum.

There was animosity between the pair afterwards as Clarke accused Allen of trying to get him thrown out, while Allen felt Clarke was guilty of using dirty tactics. It was another setback for Allen, but he knew he could not end his career like that, and quickly got back in the gym.

Allen picked up two low-key wins to get his 2024 up and running, and then the phone call he’d been hoping for came.

He was offered the chance to fight the unbeaten Johnny Fisher in Saudi Arabia last December on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fisher had been knocking all his opponents out without breaking sweat and was expected to do the same to Allen. The build-up was dominated by talk of Fisher moving onto the next level after dispatching Allen and potentially setting up a fight with fellow rising star, Moses Itauma.

But those plans went out the window once the opening bell went. Fisher controlled the early exchanges, while Allen plodded around the ring and offered little to worry his rival. However, in the fifth round, Allen turned the fight on its head. A left hook wobbled Fisher and a further flurry of punches put the young prospect down for the first time in his career.

Fisher bravely rose to his feet but Allen dominated the rest of the contest and was expected to get his hand raised at the final bell. To the shock of many, Fisher got the nod via split decision, leaving Allen devastated, but he had risen to the occasion and finally found his level.

Allen warned Fisher against taking an immediate rematch with him, but his domestic foe did not listen.

The second fight was scheduled for May as Allen aimed to prove his performance in their first meeting was not a fluke. Once again, it was Fisher who started well, but Allen worked his way into the fight and seized his moment in the fifth round.

Just like in the first bout, an Allen combination hurt Fisher, and he went down. He scrambled to his feet and with only seconds left in the round it seemed he may be saved by the bell. But Allen knew he could not afford to let Fisher off the hook this time and he went in for the finish, landing a huge left hook that sent Fisher sprawling and in no position to continue.

Allen had completed the job he started five months earlier to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career.

During the first half of his career, there did not seem to be a plan in place for how Allen wanted to develop as a fighter. He simply took fights with big names, got beaten, and then came back for more.

But in the last six years he has slowly worked his way back into contention by taking calculated risks and it has paid off. Now, he is in the strongest position of his career, knowing that he will walk straight into another big fight if he can get past Makhmudov on Saturday night.

Deontay Wilder has been mentioned as a potential future opponent – this simply would not have been possible five years ago. Allen is riding the crest of a wave and must use that momentum and the Sheffield crowd to beat Makhmudov. If he can get another win this weekend, huge fights await in 2026.

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