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Why this one punch could be Dave Allen’s secret weapon against Arslanbek Makhmudov
Before making the trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to face Johnny Fisher in the first of two epic British heavyweight clashes last December, Dave Allen was on the brink of giving up boxing for good and opting for the regular 9-5 life most of the British public endure.
Instead, a knockdown in round five and being on the wrong end of a controversial split decision breathed new life into Allen’s career. The once popular ‘White Rhino’ was back in the good books of British fight fans, and a rematch was arranged for May.
As Fisher’s army of fans descended on London’s Copper Box Arena, Allen made sure he would be the one to be celebrating and knocked out Fisher cold on the closing bell of the fifth session.
Allen’s next outing takes place on Saturday, live on DAZN, when he faces Arslanbek Makhmudov at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, and when the fight was first announced, there was concern as to whether this was a step too far.
However, after watching back previous contests of both men, I believe there is one punch that Allen can use to ensure Saturday night is one to remember in South Yorkshire.
Makhmudov is an imposing figure, and at one point, he had put together an impressive 14-fight knockout streak. In December 2023, he was given his shot at the big time on a packed Riyadh Season card, facing Germany’s Agit Kabayel.
What transpired was a beatdown from Kabayel, capitalising on Makhmudov’s slow, cumbersome footwork. Going off balance whenever he threw a punch, Kabayel made his opportunities count with the right hand, causing all sorts of problems while Makhmudov offered little to no resistance to this particular punch.
Makhmudov was stopped in the fourth and suffered his first professional loss. With Kabayel’s right hand playing a crucial role in the defeat, surely tightening up the defence would have been the obvious improvement to make.
Instead, the right hand struck again for another Makhmudov loss, this time to Guido Vianello in 2024 who got an eighth-round stoppage, and it was the same old story for Makhmudov, who had nothing to combat the right hands coming his way.
Throughout a long 12-week training camp, I would be very surprised if a swinging right hand is not what Allen and his trainer Jamie Moore have been working on when it comes to bringing the fight to an early finish.
Re-watching his knockout win against Johnny Fisher, the signs were there early on that Allen was looking to detonate with his right. He managed to land one just 60 seconds into the fight, and up until the fifth was missing narrowly.
Against someone like Makhmudov, who is not the fastest fighter and can only move backward and forward, it could be target practice for Allen.
Just like the Fisher rematch, he will need to land one or two early right hands. If successful, Makhmudov may be forced into panic because of the scar tissue from his two previous defeats.
While any signs of panic will be seized upon by Allen, he will need to remain calm and composed, being clinical and avoiding getting drawn into a firefight where, in heavyweight boxing, anything could happen.
For Allen, Saturday night could be the most memorable of his boxing career so far, and his very own right hand could be the difference maker.
Watch Dave Allen vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov live on DAZN
Allen vs. Makhmudov is live on DAZN this Saturday night, October 11. Watch the fight and whole card with a DAZN subscription.
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