A fired-up Dave Allen is ready for the biggest fight of his life in front of one of the biggest crowds at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
Last remaining tickets are on sale with over 8,000 fans ready to roar the 33-year-old Doncaster native on against Arslanbek Makhmudov this Saturday, October 11 – live worldwide on DAZN.
Allen – affectionately known to fight fans as ’The White Rhino’ – has been hailed for his incredible transformation as he counts down to his toughest test to date against the bear-wrestling, Canada-based behemoth, Makhmudov.
Having completed what he believes is his best training camp of his career, Allen knows a victory will propel him to even bigger nights with promoter Eddie Hearn already talking up a tantalising Heavyweight clash against former WBC king Deontay Wilder.
And Allen has left no stone unturned – and has explained why everything has had to be ‘perfect’ approaching a monumental weekend ahead.
“Boxing is my life,” said Allen, speaking to Matchroom Boxing.
“It’s all I do. I train, I fight, I manage, I promote, I do punditry. It’s everything to me.
“I know it’s going to be a hard fight – but it would be the biggest win of my career.
“The likes of Luis Ortiz might have been better than him [Arslanbek Makhmudov]. But I’ve never beaten anyone better, so I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a good fighter and to beat him, I have to get everything perfect.”
Allen, 24-7-2 with 19 wins by the way of knockout, revealed he has found relaxation away from the hard rigours of training… by ‘managing’ Manchester United on his iPad.
“I love Football Manager,” he added.
“I’ve been managing for that long, 15 years at Man United, that they’ve given me a youth player called ‘Dave Allen’. I’m not kidding.
“He’s pretty good as well. He’s played a couple of times for England! I’m over the moon with myself. So, yeah, that’s what I do to unwind. Some people might think it’s sad. But it’s the little wins in life that keep you going.”
Indeed, a big win this Saturday – at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena – will certainly keep a revitalised Dave Allen going.
Thursday, October 9
Press Conference
Venue: Face of Steel
Address: Magna Way, Rotherham, S60 1FD
Timings: Media arrivals from 12.30pm; Press Conference starts at 1.30pm
Media interviews are available with selected fighters. Kindly note that one-on-one interviews with the Promoter are not guaranteed for all media – and Matchroom Boxing does not operate a ‘queue’ system.
Friday, October 10
Weigh-In
Venue: Victoria Hall
Address: Norfolk St, Sheffield S1 2JB
Timings: Media arrivals from 5.15pm; Fighters on the scales from 6pm
Saturday, September 13
Fight Day 5k
