'I'm not finished' - Arslanbek Makhmudov not the end of Dave Allen journey after valiant effort in Sheffield
Dave Allen left Sheffield’s Utilita Arena having won hearts and minds - but not his bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Consideration was given to pulling Allen out in the late stages of his heavyweight battle with Makhmudov, who held court for large spells.
Allen only ever had control of the affair for fleeting moments but throwing the towel is just not what he does.
The 33-year-old had been consigned by many to the boxing scrap heap after smashing into a series of roadblocks.
Few expected him to battle someone of Makhmudov’s calibre at the top of an arena bill but there he was - with an army of supporters in tow - revelling in love from the crowd.
He had penned a two-fight deal with Matchroom, yet it would not have been an enormous shock had he hung up the gloves after another loss.
Giving up, however, is not something the ‘Doncaster De La Hoya’ was willing to contemplate.
Dave Allen admission
“The top and bottom is I’m not good enough,” said Allen. “He’s like top 20 in the world and I’m not – simple as that really.
“He was too big and too good. I just wasn’t good enough. That’s alright. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. I’ve had to swallow it eight times so you get used to it.
“But, the crowd in here tonight, I’ve ever seen anything like it. I nearly cried. I had to really choke it all back a bit on the ramp. I’m not finished.”
Allen never really got his hands going against the bear-wrestling Russian he selected as an opponent. Too often, Makhmudov sent his huge fists crashing into Allen’s gloves as nothing came back the other way.
There were brief flurries from the Doncastrian and the crowd erupted in response to every swing. Allen spent the closing stages stalking Makhmudov with a desperate fury, to the delight of those who had been waiting for restraint to become ruthless aggression.
However, it was not enough to sway the contest as the judges awarded the win to Makhmudov.
Appetite for Allen
Boxing is a fickle sport and there will be those who deride Allen for picking up his eighth career loss.
The reality is there is still an appetite for watching the charismatic heavyweight and there has been talk of a British title opportunity. The weight attached to certain losses divides but it is clear which side of the argument Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith lands on.
He said: “The truth is, and this is what we have to change about the sport, I think this is what is changing.
"It should be, 'did you go out? Did you give it all? Did you put it on the line? Did you test yourself to the best of your ability?'. 'Yes, I did'. Happy days. That's why you see nights like this - because people have respect for it.
"He had loads of other names he could have fought - but he wanted to test himself. That's boxing, that's sport. Why should we know the result of every fight?”
It is not just Allen who will be relieved Smith can view losses in such a manner.
Junaid Bostan dealt blow
In the chief support slot, Rotherham’s Junaid Bostan suffered the first defeat of his professional career in an explosive rematch with Bilal Fawaz.
‘Star Boy’ is a highly-rated Matchroom prospect who appeared unstoppable until Fawaz held him to a draw in January.
The reunion was a chance for the super-welterweight to put Fawaz in his rear view mirror and claim the English title.
It was undoubtedly the fight of the night, an all-out war consisting mostly of brutal strikes and genuine rage.
Bostan somehow withstood an onslaught of third-round punishment to battle back into the contest, but could not turn the tide and lost on points.
According to Smith, he could potentially get an opportunity to exact revenge at the top of a bill.
"I think the rematch is a fight, providing Junaid is interested, that makes a lot of sense,” he said. “The first two fights were tremendous, Junaid showed so many improvements.
"It will really be led by what he’s thinking as well but that’s a massive fight.
"That’s a fight that could arguably headline a show as well. The atmosphere that was generated for that - we had close to 10,000 people in here at that point.”
Doncaster victories
Allen may not have given the people of Doncaster a win to celebrate, but Josh Padley did.
Debuting in the super-featherweight class, the 29-year-old survived a valiant display from Reece Bellotti to secure a points win.
The comfortable nature of the victory awarded to Padley by judges raised eyebrows and Smith himself believed they were too wide.
"I think ultimately the scorecards were far too wide,” Smith said. “We say it time and time again - how do we change things in this sport?”
Regardless, a Yorkshire derby face-off between the former electrician and the ‘Leeds Warrior’ Josh Warrington has been mooted.
He said: “I think that’s a great fight if we can make it happen - it’s a huge fight in Yorkshire.”
The first Yorkshire victory of the night had been delivered by Joe Hayden, a Conisborough welterweight who breezed through his preliminary six-rounder against Angelo Dragone.