Dave Allen STOPS Johnny Fisher in rematch at the Copper Box Arena after controversial first fight
Dave Allen finally got what many believed he deserved all along.
Five months after a controversial split-decision loss to Johnny Fisher in Saudi Arabia, the 'White Rhino' returned with vengeance, grit, and a point to prove — and he did just that, stopping the previously unbeaten Romford Bull in a dramatic rematch at the Copper Box Arena.
Allen, 33, came in heavier and more determined than ever ahead of the rematch — hilariously claiming he needed to win to afford his new en-suite during Thursday's press conference.
Both men felt each other out in the opening round, with Allen throwing first and looking to land an overhand right. Meanwhile Fisher operated well behind the jab before landing flush on Allen's right cheek with 1.50 left on the clock. However, the White Rhino absorbed it well.
Fisher started to double up his shots in the second round, looking to target the body while Allen responded with serval jabs to push Fisher back.
The referee was forced to step in with 20 seconds left on the clock to warn Fisher about using his elbow, but it didn't seem to phase the Romford Bull - who finished the round with a combination.
It was in the third round that the fans got excited as Fisher caught Allen on the ropes, landing several combinations. But, it wasn't enough to stop the white rhino - who responded with serval well timed combinations later in the round.
The pair finished the round by exchanging in close quarters, with Fisher landing a right uppercut to fling Allen's head back.
Allen continued to walk Fisher down in the fourth round and landed an uppercut of his own with 40 seconds left on the clock.
Fisher responded well with a combination to the body before catching Allen with a clean right hand shortly before the bell.
It was in the fifth round that Allen landed a powerful right hand followed by left body shot that startled Fisher. He continued to pressure the Romford Bull before dropping him with 10 seconds left on the clock.
The arena erupted, and for Allen — denied on the cards last time despite a knockdown and many believing he had done enough — it was vindication.
More to follow...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Footy great Dermott Brereton reveals secret health battle that is making even simple daily tasks impossible
AFL legend Dermott Brereton has delivered an emotional account of the lifelong toll football has taken on his body, revealing he now struggles to perform even the simplest tasks like putting on shoes or shaking hands. The five-time premiership forward spoke candidly at the Melbourne Cricket Club during the Norm Smith Oration, detailing his painful daily challenges caused by a career built on fearless, physical football. The man who once played through shattered ribs now needs help tying his laces. 'I pathetically allow myself to become melancholy and even teary,' he admitted. 'Some mornings my beautiful partner Julie has to put on my shoes and socks for me. 'With the pain in my spine, where they inserted a cage, I can't reach.' Brereton revealed he sometimes cries from the physical toll football has taken on his body His body, once built to absorb contact and punishment, now resists everyday movement. 'Some days I have to walk down the stairs sideways. I haven't had cartilage in my knees for 40 years.' Brereton, 59, became a Hawthorn icon during the club's dominant 1980s era, playing from 1982 to 1992. He was known for his flamboyance and aggression, famously playing through broken ribs in the 1989 VFL Grand Final. That trademark fearlessness won him respect and five premierships—but it came at great physical cost. 'Some days I can't shake hands with other men,' he said. 'If they do, I fear they'll re-open the broken bones in my hands.' Reconstructed ankles, damaged shoulders, and arthritic joints now define his day-to-day life. 'Some days I crab my way down the stairs because my ankle won't flex anymore,' he added. Brereton's speech combined humour and heartbreak as he recalled his upbringing in Frankston and rise to stardom. He shared the stage with Essendon great Tim Watson, whose light-hearted stories brought laughter to balance the emotion. 'To be honest with you, Tim, those [mid-'80s] battles took you to the edge of safety,' Brereton said. 'And for me, that is always where you get the best view of life.' He admitted to using powerful anti-inflammatories for decades—Indocin, Brufen, and Voltaren—which left him with ongoing stomach issues. 'Some nights I sleep very little because of the arthritis in my shoulder joints,' he said. That joint damage stemmed from years of heavy weight training to survive the demands of centre half-forward. In perhaps the most revealing moment, Brereton questioned whether it was all worth it. 'I often ask myself… in that moment of weakness—was it worth it?' His answer: 'I'd do it all over again, exactly the same. Maybe next time, I might go a little harder.' He recalled receiving regular epidurals just to keep playing during his peak years. 'In '86-89, I'd go to Vimy House after games for an epidural. I'd lie in bed all day, then head home.' Post-retirement, Brereton moved into media and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1999. He acknowledged football had given him discipline, fame, romance, wealth, employment, and friendships. But it also took something dear: his long-term physical independence. 'It's also taken away something very dear to me,' he said. La Trobe University data, cited by the AFL Players' Association, shows 76 per cent of past players suffered serious injuries. Of those, 64 per cent say those injuries still affect their daily lives. Since 2017, more than 1150 past players have received reimbursements for joint and dental surgeries.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Brothers bring boxing back to Fenway after 70 years and hope to revitalize the sport in Boston
For the first time in nearly 70 years, boxing is returning to Boston 's famed Fenway Park. The 11-fight card is the culmination of years of effort by twin brothers and longtime public schoolteachers who grew up in Watertown and want to revitalize boxing in the city that was home to some of the greatest athletes in the sport's history. It's also symbolic of a shift back to the roots of the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, to when it wasn't just used for Red Sox games but for other sports and political events. 'Most people's experience there is solely related to baseball,' said Richard Johnson, Fenway expert and curator at The Sports Museum in Boston. "But the fact is that this year, you can see an event that'll be very similar to what your grandparents saw.' Promoters Mark and Matt Nolan want 'Fight Night at Fenway,' scheduled for Saturday, to be both a time capsule and time machine, taking spectators back to boxing's glory days and what the sport can be for the city in the future. The Nolans got their license to organize fights last year with the goal of bringing boxing back to Boston. After Fenway, 'That's mission accomplished," Matt Nolan said. 'It's not just like our dream, it's everybody's dream — every boxer on planet Earth,' he said. 'Just the idea that some kid can fight his way to Fenway Park. It's like hitting the lottery. You can't you can't beat it. There's nothing comparable." A rich history Boston has played a long and impressive role in American boxing history and the development of the sport itself, said Johnson, author of 'Field of Our Fathers, An Illustrated History of Fenway Park." The city was home to 'Boston's Strong Boy,' John L. Sullivan, born in 1858 to Irish immigrant parents and widely considered America's first sports superstar. The first heavyweight champion of the world, he was as famous as Muhammad Ali was in his time. Sam Langford, a Black Canadian-born boxer, moved to Boston as a teenager but was blocked from competing in the world championships by racist policies and is considered one of the greatest non-champions in boxing. Other boxing stars with Boston connections include Marvin Hagler and Rocky Marciano of nearby Brockton. 'The Boston Bomber' Tony DeMarco, whose statue raises his fists at passersby in Boston's North End, was the last fighter to win in the ring at Fenway in 1956. For a time after it was built, Fenway Park was the only outdoor venue with a significant seating capacity in Boston, making it a destination for all kinds of events, including boxing starting in 1920. After new owners took over in 2002, the park became a venue for a variety of activities, including concerts and sporting events such as hockey, snowboarding, Irish football and curling. 'Back in the day, it was sort of the Swiss Army knife of sports facilities in Boston. And it's returned to that — a little bit of everything. So, returning boxing to the park is just a nod to the past," Johnson said. Other venues can feel 'more corporate and sterile," but Fenway is living history, said Johnson, who calls it the 'largest open-air museum in New England.' A different pitch Mark Nolan said it's not for lack of trying that no one has hosted a boxing fight at Fenway in almost 70 years. But many promoters couldn't make a pitch that landed with ballpark management. The Nolans, who teach full time and own a boxing gym in Waltham where people can train regardless of their ability to pay, were different. After success hosting events at other venues, Mark Nolan said Fenway Sports Group connected to their 'everyman' appeal and decided to give them a shot. The brothers fell in love with boxing while accompanying their father, a boat captain, to the gym as kids. When they expanded from coaching amateur boxers to professionals five years ago, they were dismayed by what they found: shows full of uneven fights set up to make the promoters as much money as possible, with established amateurs fighting people who 'have no right putting gloves on in any capacity whatsoever' in venues like high school gymnasiums. Fighters weren't being paid fairly and contracts weren't transparent. They came up with a simple business plan: pick good venues, pay fighters well and only host matches in Boston proper. They said a lot of promoters sell fighters, but they're focused on selling fights fans want to see. 'They're making sure that every fight is well-matched," said Thomas "The Kid" O'Toole, a fighter from rural Galway, Ireland, who has lived in Boston for the past two years, 'Nobody wants to see someone go in and just knock their opponent out right away and beat them up for four, six, eight rounds. They want to see a competitive fight.' O'Toole went professional in 2021 and is undefeated with 13 fights. He said his fight against St. Louis-born Vaughn 'Da Animal' Alexander at Fenway will be "the biggest test of his career." Massachusetts-born Lexi 'Lil Savage" Bolduc will compete in her fourth professional fight. She faces Sarah Couillard in a rematch after coming out on the losing end of a majority draw at the Royale. 'Fighting at Fenway, I think adds a little bit of pressure because I'm local, I grew up in Mass and idolized a lot of players as I was growing up. ... But at the same time, I'm trying to use it just as a huge opportunity and really soak in the moment," she said. "Pressure makes diamonds. 'To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it's really remarkable," she said.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Judge paves the way for college athletes to earn millions
A federal judge has paved the way for college athletes to earn millions after approving a settlement between an Arizona State swimmer and the National Collegiate Athletic Association on Friday. Almost five years ago, Grant House sued the NCAA and its five biggest conferences to lift restrictions on revenue sharing with college athletes. Under the newly approved settlement, each school will now share up to $20.5 million with athletes over the next year and $2.7 billion over the next 10 years to thousands of former athletes who were previously prohibited from collecting revenue, the Associated Press reported. Most of the athletes who will reap the rewards of this suit will be football and basketball players at the biggest sports schools. House said in a CBS Sports article from May 2023 that he was inspired to pursue the lawsuit by Arizona State's music students who could get paid to play at Carnegie Hall. "I always thought it was interesting that … if [those musicians] can monetize this, take it to the farthest reaches, I couldn't because I was an athlete doing my own aspirations and dreams," House said. 'That just didn't sit well with me and confused me a lot,' he added. CBS Sports reported that the NCAA had made claims that compensating athletes would cause issues in the locker room. "I know there are quarterbacks getting millions of dollars. I'm not getting that. Good for them. I want them to actualize that," House said in response. He continued: 'I can imagine [locker room issues] in maybe some places where younger athletes have egos and haven't developed as much. I blame that on the culture. I don't blame that on NIL [name, image and likeness]. If your culture is that fragile, that weak, you as a university need to fix that.'
