Dave Allen names the former heavyweight champion he would like to fight

Heavyweight Dave Allen has named the former champion he would like to face next, saying that he thinks he could beat former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Speaking on TalkSport, Allen said that he thought Wilder, 43-4-1 (42), was a good stylistic match for him. He added that he thought he could beat Wilder.

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Wilder, at present, is slated to fight Tyrrell Anthony Herndon on 27 June in Wichita, Kansas.

Allen, 24-7-2 (19), said: “When I talk about Deontay Wilder, I smile. I think, stylistically, he’s a good match for me. I can beat him. I think beating Deontay Wilder – I’d be a very, very happy man.”

After beating Johnny Fisher in five rounds in their May rematch, Allen is currently riding a career high. He came into the May fight after losing a controversial split decision to Fisher in their December bout. A stalwart of the scene, Allen has spent recent years losing to the top-placed heavyweights – Frazer Clarke, David Price, Luis Ortiz, Dillian Whyte – while registering come-from-behind underdog victories against the likes of Lucas Browne.

Elsewhere in the interview, Allen said that he was aware of his limitations as a boxer but reiterated that he had the skills and the physical ability to beat Wilder. One of his past issues, he said, was a lack of discipline early in his career, saying that it was an attribute he lacked that has kept him from the top echelons in the sport.

He said: “I’ve sparred the best heavyweights in the world in Usyk and Fury. And I’m not that good, and that’s fine. I accepted that a long time ago. Deontay Wilder isn’t what he was. Deontay Wilder is beatable now. I’m realistic. I’m very realistic. I know what I can and can’t do.”

He went on: “On the back of that, I’m training hard, and I can’t get hurt. That’s the most-important thing. I can earn a lot of money and get out of boxing while healthy. I’m training hard and I’m realistic. That’s what matters to me.”

Should a Wilder fight not emerge, Allen said that he would like to fight for the British title. That, he said, was always his ambition.

He added: “My granddad was a big boxing fan, and my dad had thirty pro fights but never won the British title. My grandmother always said to me, ‘Win the British title; that would mean everything to us.’ Chisora is another dream fight, but the British title would be everything.”

Allen said that he should be fighting again in September in Sheffield, although he did not name a specific date or opponent. However, he did say that he would headline the bout.

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