Dave Allen kept his word and will enter the fight with Filip Hrgovic in decent shape.

The fan-favorite Briton has been emotional throughout his career, often revealing after defeats that he could have trained harder and prepared better.

This weekend he will be looking to claim the biggest scalp of his campaign in Hrgovica world-class, well-trained and sturdy Croatian, whose only defeat was against the up-to-date world champion Daniel Dubois.

Although he still considers the main event at London’s O2 Arena against Lucas Browne to be the biggest achievement of his career, Allen will be fighting in front of 10,000 fans at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, and the importance of this event has not crossed his mind.

He clearly has a tough trainer, tipping the scales at 248.8 pounds. This is an impressive drop compared to the 271 he weighed in his last appearance – in February he defeated Karim Berredjem in the first round. In fact, this is the lowest weight Allen has registered since his 2019 loss to David Price.

Speaking about the transformation, “Dazzling” Dave said:

“I’ve just eaten less chocolate, less sweets… People talk about sacrifices but I’m actually very elated. I spend a lot of time with my family, my children and boxing for a living. Everyone here doing a 9-5, it’s a sacrifice. It wouldn’t be fair to talk about sacrifice, I live my dreams every day. Sometimes it’s difficult in the gym, sometimes I feel like eating something, but I’ll go out in front of 10,000 people in Doncaster against one of the best heavyweights in the world. world. It was my dream and I will make it come true soon.

Regardless of his shape, most consider Hrgović too gigantic a mountain for Allen to climb. He is aware of this but believes it could cause one of the worst disturbances ever seen on British shores.

“He’s a great fighter, but I’m not afraid of him. He’s been trying to tell me all week that I don’t want to look at him. I don’t care about Filip Hrgovic. It’s a boxing match.

“On paper I shouldn’t even be in the ring with him, but I feel tomorrow at Donny’s will be a special night where I’ll experience one of the biggest upsets in British boxing history.”

If Allen fails to disrupt the odds and Hrgovic emerges unscathed, he is widely expected to face Moses Itauma in August.

David Morrell says his career isn’t over after his knockout loss to Zak Chelli last Saturday in England, but questions are already being raised about whether Morrell should return to 168 pounds after another tough run at lithe heavyweight.

Morrell was stopped in the 10th and final round after a competitive bout on the Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois heavyweight undercard. The defeat was Morrell’s second defeat in his last three fights following a decision loss to David Benavidez in February 2025.

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Last update: 2026/05/14 at 23:49

Terence Crawford has faced select top-class players throughout his career, but there was one player who coach Brian “BoMac” McIntyre deemed a real threat to his protégé’s dominance.

As the undisputed champion of three divisions, it’s safe and sound to say that “Bud” never shied away from a formidable challenge, even if it meant putting himself at a significant disadvantage.

His fight with Canelo Alvarez, for example, saw the extraordinary technician move up two weight classes and dethroned the Mexican with a remarkable unanimous decision victory last September.

Similarly, many felt that Crawford was clearly the underdog before us his fight with Errol Spence Jr. in 2023only to score a ruthless ninth-round finish and unify all four major welterweight titles.

But according to longtime head coach “BoMac,” Crawford came closest to his only professional loss in 2019, six years before he retired from the sport.

The American was then defending his WBO welterweight title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, also known as “Mean Machine”, who was not only undefeated, but also boasted an impressive knockout to victory ratio.

I’m talking to Podcast on the front pageMcIntyre credited Kavaliauskas with forcing Crawford to change his tactics after the third round, when “Bud” jumped out of the ring after being deemed a no-knockdown.

“That motherfucker just kept coming and coming. He didn’t stop. For the first few rounds, he only had Bud’s number because he was punching before Bud and punching after Bud.

“It was like, ‘Damn, dog – you [Crawford] I have to pick it up.”

Ultimately, Crawford managed to secure a ninth-round victory over Kavaliauskas, but he had to dig deep into his tool bag to win. The record-breaking star later said that “Mean Machine” was one of the hardest hits he had ever faced.