Boxing

Mind games gone wrong? Preview of the Dave Allen vs. Makhmudov fight

Published

1 year ago

October 10, 2025

Image: Mind Games Gone Wrong? Dave Allen’s Plan to Irritate Makhmudov Might Be Backfiring Before the First Bell

Dave Allen says he wants to wear out Arslanbek Makhmudov with mind games ahead of their 12-round fight this Saturday, October 11 at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. Their fight will be shown live on DAZN this Saturday. The event starts at 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM PT.

The smile war begins

Allen’s strategy is to deliberately irritate the huge 6-foot-1/2-inch Russian Makhmudov (20-2, 19 KOs) by smiling. He admits it doesn’t seem to work. Instead of seeming enraged, Makhmudov seems elated with how genial Allen is, as seen in his smiles.

Another strategy for Allen (24-7-2, 19 KO) is to avoid Makhmudov’s firepower in the first quarter of the fight, then launch an attack in rounds four and five. Makhmudov may still be too powerful at this point in the fight for Allen to go on the attack.

In Arslanbek’s recent eighth-round knockout loss to Guido Vianello on August 17, 2024, he continued to throw with great power in rounds five through seven. Makhmudov’s left eye was swollen and injured and he could barely see out of it. Still, he threw huge haymakers with the intention of knocking him out. If it weren’t for Guido’s technical skills, he would have been cut.

Allen will have to be careful not to get hit as Makhmudov’s shots have a lot of power and weight behind them. The uppercuts and clubbing right hands he throws will cause damage if or if they land on Allen. He hasn’t fought a heavyweight at Makhmudov’s level for many years, since his fight with Tony Yoka in 2018.

“I’m trying to irritate him. I’m not sure how well it works. I wanted him to try to hit me in the head. I was trying to irritate him. The sooner he gets tired, the better,” Dave Allen said to talkSport Boxing about wanting to destroy Arslanbek Makhmudov outside and inside the ring.

Makhmudov doesn’t blink

Allen doesn’t seem to understand Makhmudov well. He seems completely indifferent to the mind games Allen is trying to play. Makhmudov has too much experience at the professional and amateur levels in Russia. Trying to irritate him probably won’t work. Again, Allen’s smile makes him seem genial. Makhmudov even said in an interview that he thought Allen was a “nice” person.

“I can’t wait to start rounds four and five. The more I can get the smile off my face, the quicker I can get him going. When he throws punches, I’ll duck and dive. I’ll get to work when he starts blowing.”

Olly Campbell has been covering boxing since 2010 and writing for Boxing News 24 since 2014. He has been based in the UK and currently covers the world boxing scene, providing fight news, results and features that allow fans to hear the biggest stories in the sport.

With a background in reporting from the UK and Europe, Olly has developed a style that combines pointed analysis with accessible writing, making his work valuable to dedicated followers and casual fans alike. His reports consistently highlight champions, challengers and emerging prospects on the global stage.

Last update: 10/10/2025

Boxing

Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II: Start Time and Live Results

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II: Start Time and Live Results"

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at The O2 Arena in London, with coverage starting at 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. ET and ring walks expected around 10:30 p.m. BST / 5:30 p.m. ET. The rematch airs on DAZN PPV for £24.99 in the UK and $59.99 in the US.

Updated Oct 17, 2026, 2:57 pm EDT

FIGHT DAY! Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley

Daniel Dubois

Fabio Wardley

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Card starts: 12:30pm EDT / 5:30pm BST
Expected ring walks: 6:00 pm EDT / 11:00 pm BST
Scheduled distance: 12 rounds

Super featherweight Nelson Birchall (13-0, 10 KOs) handed Levi Giles (17-4-1) his first stoppage defeat with a seventh-round TKO. The unbeaten prospect’s quick, accurate punching wore down Giles over the scheduled ten-round contest. Giles maintained his effort, but Birchall landed the cleaner shots and increasingly took control. A fifth-round knockdown began a punishing stretch for Giles.

Birchall sent him to the canvas again in the sixth. Giles went down for a third time in the seventh, bringing the fight to an end. Birchall finished with three knockdowns in as many rounds to secure his tenth stoppage victory.

Tony Curtis (15-1, 4 KOs) captured the vacant Commonwealth International super flyweight title with a fourth-round TKO over Kerim Agius (4-2, 2 KOs).

Agius went down in the second and fourth rounds. Referee Sean McAvoy waved off the scheduled eight-round contest at 2:57 of round four.

Leighton Birchall (6-0, 3 KOs) earned a shutout points win over Alejandro Morales Chazaro (9-10-2, 5 KOs) in a featherweight bout. The six-round contest was scored 60-54 in Birchall’s favor.

Super bantamweight Manny Safari (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Jake Pollard (1-122, 1 KO) in the fifth round, marking his first professional appearance with a TKO victory.

Lightweight Fawas Aborode (3-0, 3 KOs) stopped Rashid Omar (8-10, 1 KO) in the fourth round. Aborode dictated the action and finished the contest inside the distance, maintaining his perfect knockout record.

Aaron Noriega (3-0) scored a fourth-round TKO over Leonardo Baez in their super featherweight bout. Noriega celebrated the victory in the ring wearing a Mexican-flag cap.

Middleweight Issiah Hamilton-Allen (4-0) earned a shutout points victory over Jensen Irving (6-41-2, 1 KO). The four-round bout ended with a 40-36 score in Hamilton-Allen’s favor.

Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley
WBO heavyweight title
Expected ring walks: 10:30 p.m. BST / 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT

Louie O’Doherty vs Michael Gomez Jr.
British and Commonwealth lightweight titles
Approximate start: 9:30 p.m. BST / 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT

Adam Olaniyan vs Garber
Approximate start: 9:10 p.m. BST / 4:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. PT

Bakhodir Jalolov vs Solomon Dacres
Heavyweight
Approximate start: 8:10 p.m. BST / 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT

Weights:

Dubois 253.9 vs Wardley 248.3
O’Doherty 134.12 vs Gomez Jr 134.3
Olaniyan 250.15 vs Garber 223.15
Jalolov 255.12 vs Dacres 242.9

Watch Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 on DAZN

About the author

Boxing 24/7 Wire

Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.

Boxing

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Live Round-by-Round Updates and Results

Published

2 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Live Round-by-Round Updates and Results

Sebastian Fundora will return to action tonight, defending his WBC super welterweight title against Ermal Hadribaj in a main event that will air live on TNT as well as stream on DAZN.

Fundora has staked his claim as the top dog at 154 lbs right now, though there are other, potentially tougher challenges than Hadribeaj, but the challenger has his chance tonight, and he’ll look to make it count.

UPDATE (2:35 pm ET): The fight between Brandon Figueroa and Tomoki Kameda has been officially canceled. Figueroa lost his WBA featherweight title on the scales yesterday, then fell ill overnight.

Wil Esco will lead the live coverage this evening, with live results and updates for the two main card undercard bouts, then round-by-round results and updates for the main event. Join us!

How to Watch Fundora vs Hadribeaj

Streaming: DAZN (subscription)

Location: The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV, USA

Fundora vs Hadribeaj full card lineup

Boxing

Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Start Time and Live Results

Published

4 hours ago

October 17, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj: Start Time and Live Results"

Sebastian Fundora defends his WBC super welterweight title against Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with the card starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m. BST Sunday. TNT and DAZN broadcast the fight live.

Updated Oct 14, 2026, 4:34 am EDT

FIGHT DAY! Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj

Sebastian Fundora

Ermal Hadribaj