‘I wasn’t good enough’ after Mahmudov loss

He “wasn’t good enough,” Dave Allen admitted after his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Arslanbek Mahmudov on Saturday night. Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) outboxed and outclassed him in their heavyweight fight at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

A slow start costs the white rhino

Allen made matters worse for himself by sticking to the game plan of not landing many punches in the first four rounds. He wanted to wait until Makhmudov had faded a little before starting his crime. The problem was that by the time he got started, he was pretty battered from all the shots Makhmudov hit.

The scores were 117-109, 116-110, and 115-111.

“I wasn’t good enough. He’s better than Johnny Fisher, and I got beat,” Dave Allen said. Trampling groundwhich reflects his loss to Arslanbek Mahmudov. “I thought I was going to kill this guy in the ninth round, but my legs gave out. I took a lot of good shots.”

Allen wasted his best chance to win by rarely landing punches in the first four rounds. At that time he should have fought hard, because the plan had already been drawn up on how to weaken Mahmudov. You have to start fast.

Too beaten to start a comeback

By the time Allen rolled into the ninth, he had already absorbed so much punishment at that point that he couldn’t let go of his hands.

“Yes, I would say so,” Allen said when asked if it was the hardest hitting he had ever taken. “He was wet himself.”

Johnny Fisher, Luis Ortiz, and Tony all hit Yoka Allen hard. It looked like Mahmudov wasn’t hitting him that hard because he lost a lot of speed. However, Khamudov’s shots were heavy, and you can see that he is a naturally strong fighter.

He doesn’t have to weigh himself down like some fighters. Allen made it easier for Khamudov to land by just standing in front of him and covering.

Joshua vs. Mahmudov: a real possibility?

“I think Joshua stopped him in a round or two. I think Mahmudov is good, but he’s not as good as he was. Mahmudov, two or three years ago, would have been a different proposition,” Allen said. “I think he’s still better than me, but he’s not as good as he was.”

“White Rhino” Allen may be right about Makhmudov. The version of him defeating Carlos Takam in 2022 will cause big problems for Anthony Joshua. Mahmudov was faster and more agile at the time. Some of the shots he hit Takam with would be dangerous for Joshua. Takam took them but fell twice.

It is questionable whether Joshua will agree to fight Mahmudov. According to him, he said that AJ will fight him in 2026. We don’t know if Joshua is flirting with him. In fact, there are better options for Joshua to fight next year, starting with Jake Paul or Tyson Fury.

Since 2015, Ollie Campbell has provided readers with a clear ringside perspective and a consistent voice on boxing’s biggest nights.