There was no fairytale homecoming for Dave Allen on Saturday, as his coach threw in the towel to confirm victory for Filip Hrgovic at Doncaster's Eco Power Stadium. The Croatian heavyweight, a world title hopeful, proved too much for the 34-year-old Allen from the opening bell.
One-Sided Contest
It was always likely to be an uphill battle for Allen, and so it proved to be. Hrgovic applied relentless pressure, forcing Allen onto the back foot. By the third round, Allen was swinging wildly and even fell off balance to the mat. Shortly after, with Allen trapped against the ropes and absorbing punches, his coach Jamie Moore waved the towel at referee Steve Gray, signalling defeat.
Allen later said: "First of all, Jamie is like my brother. I love Jamie to death. I said to him, 'I will never go anywhere else, no matter what happens.' These are my f***ing family, you know what I mean? Jamie said 'enough's enough'; enough's enough. Thank you for looking after me. If Jamie thinks that's the right choice, it's the right choice. No excuse. I fought my heart out. Filip Hrgovic was too good for me. That's no excuse."
He added: "Most people here, I've not even met them, but I'd kiss them if I could [...] I had a good cry this morning, very emotional."
Hrgovic Looks Ahead
Hrgovic, 33, said: "Sorry guys, I know I'm not [the] favourite guy here, I know they're now sad, but it is what it is. That's boxing, guys. Thanks to Dave, thanks to his team. I'm really happy for this win, and I'm moving forward to become heavyweight champion of the world. And yes, I started fast because I was connecting, he was open. I wanted to finish him fast to make a statement."
When asked about a potential fight with 21-year-old British star Moses Itauma, Hrgovic responded: "Look, I always told you, I want to fight with anyone in the division. Moses, anyone [...] I never run from any opponent."
Queensberry's George Warren added: "Yeah, we can [make that fight]. That fight's there, it's done. [Hrgovic] signed with Queensberry on the basis that that was one of the options for him. That's the job: try and get that fight made, and get it announced."
Hrgovic's sole professional loss came at the hands of Daniel Dubois in 2024, when a doctor waved off the bout due to facial damage. Since then, Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) has outpointed Joe Joyce and David Adeleye, and he made it a hat-trick of wins over British heavyweights by stopping Allen (25-9-2, 20 KOs).
