Dave Allen will take to the ring on Saturday, May 16, to face Filip Hrgovic in what really may be the toughest test of his career.
The 34-year-old “White Rhino” will be at home in Doncaster, England, for the matchup, and spoke with The Stomping Ground about the matchup, his chances to win, and what he calls his “painful realism” when it comes to approaching any tough fight.
Allen says he’s enjoying boxing more than ever nowadays, in part because he doesn’t feel the pressure that he needs to be doing
it. He also admitted he’ll be “shitting himself” on Saturday, but not because he’s scared of his opponent.
“It’s not (being scared). I wasn’t scared of Makhmudov, either, to be honest,” he said. “I’m not scared of them. You can’t be scared of them, because they’re good men, you know? They’re nice men. I’m a nice man.
“I’m scared of losing in front of 10,000 people. Not ‘scared,’ but nobody wants weeks and weeks of shit on the internet about how shit I am, you know? So I’m scared of Filip Hrgovic’s ability to beat me in a boxing match. I’m scared of his jab, I’m scared of his movements. He’s a cracking fighter.
“I’m not scared of him — he’s a nice guy. We’ve just fucking got families to provide for, we’re not fighting to the death like back in the fucking day. We’re having a boxing match. He’s done me a world of good, and I’m doing him a world of good. We’re both getting paid a fortune to box each other. I’ve got no hard feeling for him at all, he seems like a nice guy. Bit weird, like, but what a nice guy.
“So I’m never scared, but Saturday, I’ll be terrified because I’ve got to walk out in front of 10,000 people and got all that expectation. No one thinks I’m gonna win but you still want to send people home happy.”
“I’m gonna have a right go at him”
Allen (25-8-2, 20 KO) is his usual honest, realistic self ahead of this fight, but gives no impression of giving anything but his best effort. He simply knows that beating Filip Hrgovic is a big task.
“Do I think I’m gonna beat Filip Hrgovic? I’m gonna have a right go at him. I’ve got the ability to make him look a bit daft, make him miss, make him work hard,” he said. “Can I get over the line? It’s gonna be a fucking big job. People keep saying, ‘Let your hands go.’ You fucking go let your hands go with him. You go and box Filip Hrgovic and let your hands go without getting fucking flattened.
“There’s a reason I’ve never been flattened, and it’s not because I’ve got a good chin, it’s not because I’m tough. I’ve got a decent chin, I’ve got about as good a chin as anyone else, but if you get hit on the chin, you go over. And people think I’m tough, I ain’t that tough. Fucking hell. I’m not tough at all. I don’t want to fight anybody, really, I want to go home and eat chocolate.”
Allen broke down his chances a bit more, saying that he believes the chance to win is there, but it will be hard work to make it happen.
“I’m very, very good at what I do. That’s being tricky, it’s being hard to hit properly,” he said. “70 years ago, I would be a journeyman. You know, one of them really good ones. I’d be a world class journeyman, and that’s what I am now. And that’s what I’m gonna do Saturday.
“I’m gonna pick and poke at him, I’m gonna push him back, make him work at a faster pace than normal, because I am fitter and lighter. If he fucking starts to breathe heavy after five or six and I hit him, I’ll win. If I don’t, I’ll probably lose on points.
“That is the score. I didn’t pick Filip Hrgovic, I didn’t shout and scream for it. I’m not telling him I’m going to out-box him, or I’m going to knock him out. I’m going to do what I always do. I don’t bullshit anybody. People love coming to watch me, I’m very grateful for it, but I’m not Arturo Gatti, am I? Fucking hell. I’m quite boring to watch, really. But when I hit them, they stay fucking hit. But the good ones are hard to hit.”
“People go, ‘Look at Dave Allen, he’s so negative, he don’t think he’s gonna win.’ It’s gonna be hard work. Of course it is. What am I gonna do? Sit here, like, ‘I’m gonna win!’ and look a fucking prick on Sunday when I get hammered? I’m gonna tell the truth.
“I didn’t ask for this fight, they’re paying me a fucking fortune, of course I’m having it. I boxed Luis Ortiz and took home nine grand. You think I’m not going to box Filip Hrgovic for a lot more? I don’t give a fuck. I’ll fucking have a go at him and do my thing. If I win, I win. If I don’t, who gives a fuck?”
“I will never be as good as I will be on Saturday”
Allen does say that he feels “amazing,” and that despite any chatter, he has no intention of retiring from boxing no matter what happens on Saturday, when he feels we’ll see the best version of him there’s ever been and likely ever will be.
“I’m not going to retire regardless,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw. But I will never be as good as I will be on Saturday. Whether I win, whether I get knocked out in the first round, this is the best I’ve been. I’ve been training really well.
“Am I good enough, do I have enough talent, do I have enough ability? Am I big enough, do I hit hard enough? I do not know.”
