Dave Allen admitted after his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night that he “wasn’t good enough.” Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) outboxed, outworked, and out-punched him in their heavyweight fight at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Slow Start Costs the White Rhino
Allen made things worse for himself by sticking to the game plan of not throwing many punches in the first four rounds. He wanted to wait until Makhmudov faded a little before starting up his offense. The problem was that by the time he started, he was too beaten up from all the shots Makhmudov had hit him.
The scores were 117-109, 116-110, and 115-111.
“I just wasn’t good enough. He’s better than Johnny Fisher, and I got beat,” said Dave Allen to The Stomping Ground, reflecting on his loss to Arslanbek Makhmudov. “I thought, ‘I’m going get this fellow in round nine,’ but my legs were gone. I’ve been hit with too many good shots.”
Allen had wasted his best chance of winning by rarely throwing punches for the first four rounds. That’s when he should have been fighting hard, because the blueprint had already been created on how to wear Makhmudov down. You start fast.
Too Beaten to Launch the Comeback
By the time Allen started coming on in the ninth, he’d already absorbed so much punishment by that point that he couldn’t let his hands go.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” said Allen when asked if this was the hardest he’d ever been hit. “He was knackered himself.”
Johnny Fisher, Luis Ortiz, and Tony Yoka all hit Allen pretty hard. It looked like Makhmudov wasn’t hitting him all that hard because he’d lost so much speed. Still, the shots that Makhmudov did land were heavy, and you could see that he’s a naturally powerful fighter.
He doesn’t have to load up like some fighters. Allen made it easy for Makhmudov to land by standing in front of him and just covering up.
Joshua vs. Makhmudov: A Real Possibility?
“I think Joshua stops him in a round or two. I think Makhmudov is good, but not as good as he was. Makhmudov, two or three years ago, would have been a different proposition, I think. He’s still better than me, but not as good as he was,” said Allen.
‘The White Rhino’ Allen could be right about Makhmudov. The version of him that defeated Carlos Takam in 2022 would give Anthony Joshua huge problems. Makhmudov was faster back then and more agile. Some of the shots he hit Takam with would be dangerous for Joshua to take. Takam took them, but was down twice.
It’s questionable whether Joshua will agree to fight Makhmudov. According to him, he said AJ would fight him in 2026. We don’t know if Joshua was humoring him. Indeed, there are better options for Joshua to fight next year, starting with Jake Paul or Tyson Fury.
Since 2015, Olly Campbell has brought readers a clear ringside perspective and a steady voice on boxing’s biggest nights.
Last Updated on 10/12/2025
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