Makhmudov Outpoints David Allen Before a Spirited Crowd in Sheffield

Heavyweight David Allen, a Yorkshireman with a cult following, came out on the short end of a 12-round war of attrition with Arslanbek Makhmudov tonight in Sheffield, England, but rendered a gutsy performance that could have only enhanced his popularity.

Allen, the so-called “White Rhino,” is a journeyman, but a rugged journeyman who invariably gives an honest effort, making his more-skilled opponent dig deep for his bone.

His strategy tonight was to hang in there for a few rounds and then pick up the pace as the ponderous Montreal-based Russian has had stamina issues. That seemed like a smart game plan as Allen, after being out-boxed for four rounds, had a strong fifth, backing Makhmudov into the ropes to the delight of the crowd which erupted in a roar of jubilation whenever Allen landed a clean punch. Allen had another strong round in the ninth, letting his hands go after tagging the Russian with a sweeping right hand, but Makhmudov simply out-boxed Allen in most of the other rounds, keeping the fan favorite at bay with his long, straight jab.

Makhmudov was 20-2 heading in with 19 KOs, all but three of which came in the first two rounds. But he had run into trouble against Agit Kayayel (TKO by 4) and Guido Vianello (TKO by 8). Despite all those fast knockouts, he doesn’t have one-punch knockout power.

David Allen, who declined to 24-8-2 (19), had resurrected his career with a 5^th-round stoppage of previously undefeated Johnny Fisher after Fisher won an unpopular decision in their first meeting. Prior to his first fight with Fisher, he had won a pair of 4-round matches against opponents with a combined ledger of 10-39. At age 33, he was the younger man by three years, but Makhmudov looked much bigger than him, bigger than his modest 3-inch and 2-pound advantages if the stats are to be believed.

The judges had it 117-109, 116-110, and 115-111. There were no knockdowns, but British referee Steve Gray docked the Russian a point for holding in round seven and again in round11.

There’s speculation that Arslanbek Makhmudov’s next fight will come against Anthony Joshua. David Allen was reputedly headed to a match with Deontay Wilder if he had prevailed. That match may yet materialize.

Other Bouts of Note

The semi-wind-up was a crowd-pleasing 10-round junior middleweight affair between Junaid Bostan and Bilal Fawaz. This was a rematch. Their first meeting ended in a draw. The general feeling was that the underdog, Fawaz, nicked it.

Fawaz hurt Bostan in the third round, chasing him around the ring after stunning him with a chopping right hand. Bostan weathered the storm but looked ripe for the kill when the next round started. However, he turned the tables in round four, stunning Fawaz in a turnabout that had the crowd on its feet.

Through the next six rounds, both missed more punches than they landed. At the end, two judges sided with Fawaz (96-94, and 95-94) with the third scoring it a draw. Fawaz, who improved to 10-1-1, looked surprised that he was returned the winner, but that may have said more about the awkward reading of the scorecards by a young ring announcer. It was the first pro loss for Junaid Boston (10-1-1).

Fawaz, born in Nigeria to a Lebanese father and a Benin mother, but a resident of London since the age of 14, is an interesting character. He has a second career as a song stylist under the name NaijaBoy.

In a 10-round match contested at 130 pounds, Josh Padley did his best work in the second half of the fight, advancing his record to 17-1 with a unanimous decision over former BBBofC and Commonwealth super featherweight title-holder Reece Bellotti (20-6). The match was more competitive than the scorecards – 99-92, 97-93, 97-93 – showed.

An electrician by trade, Padley’s lone defeat came at the hands of Shakur Stevenson who stopped him in nine rounds in Saudi Arabia, a bout in which Padley was a last-minute substitute.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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