Matchroom CEO Frank Smith says heavyweight Dave Allen can take his career to another level to land a fight against one of the “top 10” fighters with a victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night, October 11.
Top 10 Dreams or Illusions?
Smith didn’t name any of the top fighters that Allen (24-7-2, 19 KOs) can fight, but the options are limited. The top fighters that bring in money can be counted on one hand, and those are guys that likely wouldn’t be interested in Allen. It would be a bad look for them to take that much of a step down in talent.
“Dave Allen, with a win on Saturday, can go to a whole other level in the sport,” said Matchroom CEO Frank Smith to DAZN Boxing about what’s at stake for Dave Allen if he’s victorious against Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday.
Why the Big Names Won’t Bite
If Allen wins on Saturday, it might open the door for a fight against one of the contenders. But it’s unlikely that he would get any of the true top fighters, like Moses Itauma, Joseph Parker, or Anthony Joshua, to fight him. Those guys aren’t going to look Allen’s way because he would still be viewed as domestic-level.
The fighters that Allen could potentially face would send him crashing back from whence he came. I’m talking about these guys:
- Lawrence Okolie
- Zhilei Zhang
- Efe Ajagba
- Guido Vianello
- Richard Torrez Jr.
Usyk, Joshua & Co: Out of His League
Allen isn’t likely to beat any of those fighters, and the outcome could be bad for him. He wants Deontay Wilder, but the former WBC champion is looking for bigger game. In an interview this week, Wilder hinted at a huge fight, and he wasn’t talking about Allen. That would be more of a lateral move for Deontay from his last opponent, Tyrell Herndon.
“He puts himself in a position to be against any of those guys in the top 10. But necessarily just as an opponent, because when you have the commercial value that Dave does, he’s a bigger ticket-seller than some of those fighters in the top 10,” said Smith.
Wood’s Take: Keep It Domestic, Not Delusional
It sounds great what Frank is saying, but it’s not realistic for Matchroom to pull in one of the top guys at heavyweight to fight Dave Allen. No matter how good ‘The White Rhino’ looks against Makhmudov, the top money guys like Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Parker, and Itauma would be out of reach. It would be a horrible idea for Allen to fight any of those guys, and it would be lousy for the fans.
Watching Allen get wiped out by one of those four heavyweights wouldn’t be entertaining, especially if a person has to pay to see the spectacle on pay-per-view. It wouldn’t be worth the investment. A better fit for Allen opponent-wise would be for him to face Derek Chisora next if everything goes well against Makhmudov. Chisora is 41 and ready for retirement. He’d be perfect for Allen. The two warhorses could go at it in front of a large crowd in London.
“He can put himself in a position for any of those fights, for any of those big names, and he will get those fights. But he’s got to come through a tough test,” said Smith.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst, covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 10/10/2025
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