Dave Allen could face Anthony Joshua if he can get past Russian KO machine as his career sees fairytale resurgence

Dave Allen scored a brutal stoppage win over Johnny Fisher in his latest outing after Fisher edged a highly controversial win over Allen in their first encounter.

Dave ‘The White Rhino’ Allen’s record now sits at 24-7-2 after the ‘Doncaster De La Hoya’s history of failing to train hard enough or eat well enough for his fights.

Allen has lost to Luis Ortiz, Dillian Whyte, David Price, Tony Yoka – who may face AJ next, and Frazer Clarke, and has even admitted himself to giving up when the going got tough or not putting in effort to prepare for some of these fights.

After a controversial split decision loss to Johnny Fisher, Allen was determined to prove himself, stopping Fisher in their rematch. Since then, Allen seems to have had a fire lit inside his belly, and now wants to see how far in the sport he can go if he tries.

Even if that means facing a fearsome Russian powerhouse.

Dave Allen could face AJ if he beats Arslanbek Makhmudov next

It has been widely reported that Allen’s next opponent is Arslanbek Makhmudov, a 20-2 Russian knockout artist once touted as the next big thing in the heavyweight division.

In 2023, after going to the judges’ scorecards just once against Carlos Takam, Makhmudov was pitted against Agit Kabayel on the big stage on the undercard of Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin.

Makhmudov fell short at this hurdle, as Kabayel stopped him in the fourth round.

Makhmudov picked up a win after this hurdle, but lost in his next fight to Guido Vianello after his eye swelled up dramatically during the fight.

In an interview with IFL TV, Eddie Hearn spoke about Allen vs Makhmudov, saying,

“I’ve given him a list of fighters. He’s chose the biggest puncher and the most dangerous one of the whole list. And he goes, ‘If I beat him, what will happen?’, and I said, ‘Honestly, if you beat this guy, you will land Wilder, Parker, AJ, I don’t know.'”

Allen had been eyeing a shot against Jeamie TKV for the British title after TKV lost to David Adeleye, but TKV vs Frazer Clarke was ordered instead.

Pat Brown says Allen could finish Wilder if that match-up ever comes to pass.

Dave Allen vs Arslanbek Makhmudov – The stats

Of course, going into the fight, Allen will be a major underdog. One big win over Johnny Fisher does not automatically make Allen ready for the next level of heavyweight competition, though Makhmudov has also fallen short with every step up he’s had.

Allen’s record may be a deceptive one, as the Fisher fight showed what Allen is capable of when he puts effort into his preparation and training regime, though he will certainly enter the fight as an underdog.

It’s worth comparing both fighters in the meantime, to assess how Allen vs Makhmudov could go.