UK heavyweight Dave Allen, known as “The Doncaster De La Hoya,” began his mission to claim the British title with a low-key stoppage victory on home soil.
Allen, formerly self-titled “Papi Pay Per View” for his continued run on Sky Sports Box Office, was far from the paid platform on Friday night.
Fighting overweight also-ran Andrea Pesce at Ponds Forge Arena in Sheffield, Allen made light work of the out-of-depth Italian.
Using body shots against Pesce’s flabby exterior, Allen got the job done in two rounds to regain a foothold in the British rankings.
Dave Allen gets KO
The 29-year-old was out of the reckoning due to retiring from boxing following a crushing defeat to David Price in 2019.
Price battered Allen for ten rounds before forcing him to be taken out of the fight. Allen required oxygen after the contest, for which he subsequently admitted he was “petrified” going into the bout.
In a candid post during his time out of the sport, Allen said: “I started the week full of confidence dressed As a bottle of Irn Bru at the workout in my flip flops asking how much they were paying me for the [Alexander] Povetkin fight the following month.
“The next day was the press conference, and I was dressed smartly, still feeling well about myself.
“As weigh-in day arrived, I started to realize I wasn’t on holiday, and the fella I keep seeing about the hotel having to crouch down under doorways was going to be hitting me tomorrow.
“Come fight day for the first time, and I’m not scared to admit It. I was petrified. I felt like I was back in year seven, and when I got off the school bus the day before, I slapped the big year eleven around the head and run.
“But now it’s 8.13 the next day, and I have got to go to school, or my dad’s going to clip me anyway. “Anyway, long story short, I got filled in obviously, and two years have flown by.
HEAVYWEIGHT RUN
Despite beating Dorian Darch in a February 2020 comeback, Allen was accused of betting on a third-round victory and stayed away for another eighteen months.
Now, revitalized, Allen has set his sights on winning the Lonsdale Belt without the help of former promoter Eddie Hearn.
Judging by his victory, Allen is taking baby steps towards the UK title, to begin with.
