DAVE ALLEN was fighting on a diet of fish and chips – before having some sense knocked into him.
Allen – who faces Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night in Sheffield – has become a fan-favourite over the years.
His candid persona and lack of fear has sometimes been his greatest downfall – accepting tough fights with little preparation.
It was Allen’s lack of fear for David Price in 2019 that led him to spar just once in six weeks for the fight – living off fast food in doing so.
He told BBC Sport: “Until fight week, I was going to batter him. I wasn’t bothered, I thought I’d beat him anyway.
“On fight week, I turned up, saw the size of him and thought, ‘Oh no!’
“What I was doing was eating one meal a day. I went to a place called Seafish and was having a battered cod and chips and a pint of Coke.
“And I was having one meal a day for the last six weeks, so I weighed 17st 3lb. And then I realised, I got in there and I thought, ‘There’s nothing in me.’
“I had contusions on my spine that fight, so I ended up paralysed which is bruising on the spine. I finally read the report.
“The Price fight should have ended me really. It would have ended most people’s career.
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“Headlining the O2 wasn’t enough for me because I knew I hadn’t done what I could do.”
Allen – knocked out by Price – retired in November 2020 but returned to the ring just under a year later having three small house comeback bouts.
The heavyweight fan favourite then lost to Olympic silver medallist Frazer Clarke in September 2023 – struggling to find fights afterwards.
He forked out £2,000 on his OWN money just to get on shows – leaving his boxing career on the ropes.
Allen said: “My missus said, ‘David, this has got to stop now.’
“Because, we had two kids and we were struggling to pay for stuff, we were struggling to live.
“She said, ‘David, it’s over. You’re gonna have to get a job because it’s over.’ And I said, ‘It ain’t over yet. It’s not over.’
“And she said, ‘You’re gonna have to get a job because we can’t keep living like this.’
“So I said, ‘No, let me have this fight and see what happens.’ So I had to get two grand.
Allen vs Makhmudov – all the info
DAVE ALLEN returns to the ring for one of the biggest tests of his career this weekend!
The White Rhino faces Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of what should be a raucous home Yorkshire crowd at the Sheffield Arena.
Allen is coming off a brilliant win over Johnny Fisher and could well face Deontay Wilder in a blockbuster fight should he get through this fight.
But Makhmudov is one of the hardest hitting fighters in the sport, with 19 of his 20 wins coming by KO.
Here’s everything you need to know about the big fight.
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“A mate of mine put half in and I found the other half, because I couldn’t sell the tickets to box this fella. So I boxed him, went four rounds and it was terrible.
“After the fight, I just said, ‘Give it a bit of time and if nothing comes up in a few months I’ll have to get a job and leave the boxing.’”
It was then that Allen got the call he had been praying for.
He said: “I was randomly on the way home, I think we’d been away with her mum and dad, and I think it was Sam Jones and he said, ‘You’re boxing Johnny Fisher in Saudi.’
“I could have cried, to be honest. Because I wasn’t ready for boxing to be over.
“If nothing would have come up by Christmas, I would have had to get a job by November time.
“I was literally six weeks away from having to say, ‘You know what? It’s done, it’s over.’”
What I was doing was eating one meal a day. I went to a place called Seafish and was having a battered cod and chips and a pint of Coke.
Dave Allen
Allen fought up-and-coming prospect Fisher in Saudi Arabia last December, scoring a knockdown but losing a controversial decision.
With his stock at an all-time high, Allen took the rematch in May and brutally knocked out Fisher, 26, in five rounds.
Allen celebrated by buying a new house for his wife and two kids, which has an en-suite and cinema room.
He beamed: “We went house shopping on the money straight after and got a house with an en-suite.
“I’m a very simple person, but when I look out my window it’s with a bit of pride really, I can’t believe I live where I live. And she’s happy.
“I’ve never been happier, really. Money doesn’t make you happy but things you can buy with it do and make people around me happy.
“My kids aren’t old enough to be happy yet, but they’ll be happier when they’re older.
“When you’re at school, you want to make out you’re rich, when you’re older you want to make as if you’re poor.
“But it will be nice for my kids to have whatever they want and that’s what it’s all about really.”
Allen re-signed with promoter Eddie Hearn and was promised a homecoming in Sheffield – where he spent much of his career.
But after being denied a routine knock-over opponent – Allen decided to pick the most dangerous option of all.
He welcomes 6ft 6in Arslanbek Makhmudov to the Sheffield Arena on Saturday – with his eyes on facing Deontay Wilder afterwards.
Allen said: “I picked Makhmudov because he’s the scariest and I thought he was the best.
“I said, ‘If we’re having it Eddie, we might as well have it as good as you can.’”
