Dave Allen on Johnny Fisher KO: I'm no 'world-beater, but to beat me you have to be pretty good — and he's not there yet'
When Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn faced off this past month, it was a fight between two of British boxing's bad guys. Eubank and Benn, for different reasons, were hated in boxing's inner circle.
But the fight this past Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in London was the polar opposite — Dave Allen and Johnny Fisher are two of boxing's good guys. Despite it being a pro-Fisher crowd, both men got cheered into the ring, and you would've struggled to find a single boo directed Allen's way on the night.
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Allen produced a highlight-reel fifth-round knockout of Fisher in their heavyweight rematch. Fisher had won a controversial split decision when the pair met this past December in Riyadh. Although it was the biggest on-paper win of Allen's career on Saturday, he insists that it wasn't his greatest moment.
"I don't think it tops the Lucas Browne fight [in 2019] for me, personally," Allen told Uncrowned and DAZN's "Ariel x Ade" show on Tuesday. "I'm from Doncaster, which is a little town up north. It's not the most glamorous place. And at 27, I headlined the biggest arena in the UK. [I] beat a guy that held a version of the world title. So for a kid at 27 — and at 27 my life was pretty hectic — to headline The O2, a kid from a little village three or four hours up north, I don't think I'll ever top it really."
Allen's win over Browne came at a time when he wasn't far removed from a heavy gambling addiction, which saw him bet and lose the value of his upcoming fight purses before even entering the ring. Allen had struggled to stay motivated enough to train for his fights and admittedly went into several major bouts with minimal preparation.
But in 2019, Allen turned a new leaf. He teamed up with the former world middleweight champion Darren Barker, and in their first fight together, Allen knocked out Australia's former WBA champion Browne inside three rounds. Allen's win over Browne was a glimmer of light for the Doncaster man at the end of a dark journey.
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"When I was doing things in my 20s, I was doing them even though it was against all odds," Allen said. "Like when I boxed Johnny Fisher on Saturday, if I didn't beat [him], I'd be heartbroken. [I've] been boxing 17 years now, [I was a] national amateur champion. When I turned pro, at least locally, everyone was like, 'This boy can box for world titles.'
"And that went down the wayside in my 20s, I got a little bit lost. Life kind of got in the way for me. But at 33, I've got a normal life now. I have got a family, I've got kids, I have stability, I have world-class boxing coaches. I should be beating Johnny Fisher. So I'm doing what I should be doing now. Finally, at 33, I'm doing what I should be doing."
Although the Fisher fight came in front of 8,000 fans and represented Allen's highest-profile win, Allen puts it into perspective. Not only did it come at a time when Allen's life was much more stable than in previous years, but the nature of the opponent could be compared to when Allen knocked out Nick Webb in 2018 — another hyped heavyweight prospect who fell short in his first real test.
Allen's uptick in motivation to succeed can be attributed to the stability provided to him by his family life. It's a common tale told by boxers that after having their first child, they are not only boxing for themselves, but for somebody else as well, and that becomes their biggest incentive. And the story rings true for Allen as much as anybody.
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"I don't really do things for me, I'm not interested," Allen said. "If I was left to my own devices — before I met my missus, I didn't even have a sofa, I didn't have a bed, I didn't have a kettle, I didn't have anything. I just slept on the floor. I had a TV — I think I had a TV — and two settee cushions. I don't do things, I don't like doing things, I don't want to do things, I'm not interested.
"I can't believe how many years passed me by. I met [my wife], the kids — and I look at my kids, and I love them. I get emotional thinking about them. I want to give them nice things. I've got no real hard-luck story. My upbringing — it was a working-class upbringing. It was hard at times, but there was no real hard-luck story, so nothing really to write home about. It was just hard. But I don't want my kids to have a hard life, I don't want them to go without, I want them to have everything."
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Experiencing tragedy helped the making of Allen. He said the death of his grandmother in recent years showed him that he could survive the worst things life could throw at him. Whatever obstacles the boxing game put his way, they were inconsequential compared to the loss of his loved ones.
Allen had retired from boxing in 2020 after being knocked unconscious on his feet in sparring by current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Allen cited the event as the final straw for him in the sport and announced his departure soon after.
"I'm not an idiot, so I know when it's time to finish," Allen said at the time.
But the retirement lasted less than a year. Allen was back to boxing on club shows against losing-record journeymen. "The White Rhino" managed four straightforward wins before getting another chance on the big stage against Frazer Clarke, however he put on a poor showing and lost comfortably. It was the fight that gave Fisher's team the confidence to match their man with Allen in December 2024.
Allen believes Fisher managed to be as competitive as he was in their first fight because of the lingering inactivity Allen suffered at the world level after his abandoned exit from boxing in 2020, and that an immediate rematch would suit him as the older and more experienced fighter.
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"I told them myself. I said the day after the first [fight], I literally told them on-camera [and] off-camera, I said, 'Johnny, don't box me again next, because when I boxed you in Saudi Arabia, I'd had six rounds with Frazer Clarke, and apart from that, I'd not had a real fight for five years.' So I boxed running the first time. The first three or four rounds were hard, my timing was off. It wasn't even off — it wasn't even there. I got through the first three or four rounds being a tough old man who's got a bit of experience. And then I got to him in five rounds, and I shouldn't be getting to anybody in five rounds. I was just fit and hard and had a bit of experience.
"The first fight did me a world of good. As soon as I got back in the gym, I thought, 'Wow, them 10 rounds are going to be the world of good.' I thought, 'Johnny Fisher cannot live with me.' I got back in the gym February time [and] I sparred Pat Brown. I was about 22 stone (308 pounds). I'd put about 3 stone on (42 pounds), three or four stone. It was Christmas and January — because I'm an animal, it's what I do — I sparred Pat Brown and I got back in the gym and I thought, 'Wow, I'm three or four stone overweight and I feel sharp as anything.'
"Fast-forward to March-April, and me, Jamie [Moore, trainer], and Nigel [Travis] said, 'Johnny Fisher, he can't compete with me.' And Saturday, that was the case really. I felt — I do feel — I could've ended it in a round or two if I wanted to, if I'd have let my hands go. But I'm very cautious and safety first. I went the rounds and waited until he was gone and took him out. Johnny Fisher is a nice fella, and he will be a good fighter, but he is a raw novice fighting someone who, in me, isn't a world-beater, but to beat me, you have to be pretty good — and he's not there yet."
With Allen's win over Fisher, he's now tied to a two-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. It's as been a lifelong dream for Allen to win the prestigious British heavyweight title. David Adeleye and Jeamie TKV are expected to contest the championship on an upcoming DAZN show after Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions won the purse bids for the rematch earlier this month.
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Allen previously won eliminators for the British title and almost claimed the Commonwealth belt in 2017, but an apparent lack of preparation saw him lose a split decision to the inferior Lenroy Thomas. Allen sees himself as a fighter capable of capturing the British and Commonwealth belts at this point in his career.
He hopes to stay active with three more fights before the end of the calendar year. Although unlikely, a British heavyweight title shot in 2025 is within reach for Allen, and should Adeleye defeat TKV again, it could even become the next installment in the Matchroom vs. Queensberry rivalry.
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