Dave Allen is one of boxing’s genuine mavericks. Allen has been earning a living from the ring since turning professional and fighting in four-round obscurity back in 2012. There has never been a clear path for the man from Doncaster, never been a definitive light at the end of any tunnel; he has a fight, has another fight, and, win or lose, he just keeps going. Then, months after being touted as a danger in the division, he vanishes, and the rumours start.

So far, he has fought 33 times, winning 24, losing seven and drawing twice. He has been matched very hard at times, and then at other times he has won three or four on the bounce against journeymen from boxing’s lost nations. There often seems to be no direction to Allen’s career.

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In October, after 13 years as a professional boxer, he is the main attraction at the Sheffield Arena when he fights the latest Russian boxing beast, Arslanbek Makhmudov. There was a time, not long ago, when Makhmudov was considered the most dangerous heavyweight in the sport.

“Naseem Hamed, Kell Brook and now Dave Allen topping the bill at the Sheffield Arena,” said Allen. “It’s hard to believe.” It might seem strange that a man without a title, with seven losses, who less than a year ago looked like he was out in the boxing wilderness, is the main attraction on a big night at a big venue. Well, that is just part of Allen’s appeal.

Allen deserves his top-billing position for selecting Makhmudov and stopping the previously unbeaten Johnny Fisher back in May, to claim the WBA Intercontinental title. The Fisher win, in a furious rematch, was both destructive and smart. Allen can often fight like he is bored, running out of ideas and stamina at about the same time. This Dave Allen – the one from the two fights with Fisher – is a different fighter to the man who lost to Tony Yoka and David Price and the five other men who beat him.

The selection of Makhmudov was a pleasant surprise, a fight with a few genuine unknowns and the potential to be very, very lively. “Dave had a lot of choice,” said Eddie Hearn, the promoter. “He told me he wanted a challenge, and that is how he ended up with Makhmudov. He wouldn’t have been my first choice.”

Back in October of 2023, when Riyadh Season launched, Makhmudov sent a chilling message to all the heavyweights when he won in just 70 seconds on a monumental night. He is big, standing 6ft 6in and close to 19st in weight, and he is very dangerous. He has stopped or knocked out 19 of the 20 men he has beaten. He fights with a dismissive quality, part arrogance and part bully – he is a classic Soviet fighter, an Ivan Drago for the ages.

However, Makhmudov the Invincible vanished in December of 2023 when a German craftsman called Agit Kabayel boxed his ears off, hit him to the body, broke his heart, and left the hulking Russian in a bloody heap in round four. It was a shock, and so was defeat number two last summer, to Italy’s Guido Vianello.

At about this time last year, both Makhmudov and Allen were on the outside looking in; then Allen had the two Fisher fights and Makhmudov blasted a previously unbeaten boxer out in under two minutes, and suddenly they are back. On the brink, then matched.

“I wanted a test, I wanted to show that I could do it against a dangerous heavyweight,” said Allen. Makhmudov is not the best heavyweight that Allen has fought, but he would certainly be the best man he has beaten. A win would transform his life beyond any plans he had.

In the sport of boxing snakes and ladders, one loss and one defeat can catapult a fighter either way. Allen vs Makhmudov has that feeling, that type of desperate, last-chance-saloon feeling. Allen, in all fairness, has a table in that bar and has fought a few times with his back to the wall. And either side of him at the table, Dillian Whyte and Derek “Del Boy” Chisora have their chairs.

The first Fisher fight last December was meant to launch unbeaten Johnny, but it backfired; Fisher was dropped and won by a close and disputed decision. There was enough outrage – mostly fake, to be honest – about the decision to deservedly get Allen a rematch; in May, Allen knocked out Fisher in round five. The win was, maybe, not a shock, but the method was impressive.

Allen has shown in victory and defeat that he can compete with just about any heavyweight. The fans love his carefree attitude, and a lot of good fighters have discovered too late that the “Doncaster De La Hoya” – one of the finest nicknames in the dirty old sport – is a lot better than they thought.

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