By Charles Brun: British heavyweight Dave Allen has announced his retirement from boxing after eight years as a pro. The 28-year-old Allen reveals that the last straw for him came during a sparring session with Oleksandr Usyk, who knocked him unconscious.
The experience left a bad taste in Allen’s mouth, who decided to hang up the gloves whether the retirement sticks remains to be seen.
It’s difficult to imagine Allen turning down a nice payday fight against the likes of Chris Lovejoy or one of the other top 15 contenders if it’s offered to him by Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. The Lovejoy fight failed to happen recently after his promoter Don King came forward to say he’s still under contract.
Usyk hurt Allen during sparring
“When I was sparring with Oleksandr Usyk, he knocked me unconscious. I finished the round,” said Allen. “The next thing I know, I was outside of the ring, packing my bag. That was the last straw.”
If this is truly it for Allen, he can be proud of picking up wins against these fighters:
- Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne
- Tom Dallas
- Nick Webb
- Jason Gavern
- Larry Olubamiwo
Allen lost to these notable heavyweights:
- Dillian Whyte
- Luis Ortiz
- Tony Yoka
- David Price
- Lenroy Thomas
Allen came close to getting a nice payday against former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin in 2019. If Allen had beaten David Price in their fight last year in July 2019, he would have moved forward to face Povetkin for life-changing money.
“The reason for me calling it a day is simple, I don’t want to get punched anymore. All I want now is a nice quiet life with a wife and some kids, healthy and happy getting nice and fat.”
“Hello everyone, I had hoped that I would never have to write this message, nevermind at 28 after my last fight being when I was 27-years-old. I made the decision a few nights ago with my sister that I would no longer from that moment on be a professional fighter.
Boxing has given me a life that I would never have dreamed of. I had never been out of Doncaster but for school trips until I started boxing.
“It had taken me around the world to New York City to working men’s clubs all around the UK, as well as seeing the world; it has taken me from the kid brought up in a council house with yellow doors wearing an Umbro to a man that still wears Umbro but owns a few houses and have given me a chance to give my kids a future life.”