Dave Allen’s last outing, as initially reported, saw the ‘Doncaster De La Hoya’ lose controversially to Johnny Fisher. Though Fisher was a favourite going into the fight, many believed Allen was the rightful winner. This contentious bout, which took place on December 21, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title, left a lasting impression on both fighters and the boxing community.
Allen himself has spoken on the fight, suggesting that though he felt he won the fight, even dropping to the canvas in tears after the final bell, it would be unfair to call it a robbery as the fight was close. The emotional aftermath underscored the significance of the contest for Allen, who saw a potential opportunity to win his first title in boxing.
The Controversial First Encounter
Leading into their initial clash, Johnny ‘The Romford Bull’ Fisher boasted an impressive undefeated record of 12 wins with 11 knockouts, having secured notable victories over Dmytro Bezus and Alen Babić earlier in 2024. His aggressive style and power had seen him quickly rise through the ranks. Dave Allen, with a more extensive and varied career, held a record of 23-7 at the time, having shared the ring with established names like Lucas Browne, Frazer Clarke, Tony Yoka, and David Price. Allen had challenged the view that Fisher would easily defeat him, as many had predicted.
The fight itself was a gruelling affair. Fisher, seven years Allen’s junior, started strong, landing effective jabs and body shots. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the fifth round when Allen delivered a powerful right hand that sent Fisher to the canvas, marking the first knockdown of Fisher’s professional career. Despite being visibly hurt, Fisher showed resilience to recover. The fight went the full ten rounds, with punch statistics revealing Allen outlanded Fisher 135 to 125 in total punches, with a higher accuracy of 45% compared to Fisher’s 32%. However, two judges scored the fight 95-94 in favour of Fisher, while the third had it 96-93 for Allen, resulting in a split decision victory for ‘The Romford Bull’. The decision was met with boos from the crowd and widespread disagreement among observers, including former world champion Johnny Nelson and promoter Eddie Hearn, who admitted the best he could have hoped for was a draw.
Moore’s Call for Scoring Reform
Dave Allen’s trainer, Jamie Moore, spoke to TalkSport regarding Dave Allen’s loss, stating, ‘It was a close fight and we definitely deserved to get the victory but when you scream robbery it takes away the power from the likes of big decisions at the level of Jack Catterall vs Josh Taylor’. Moore, who also trained Jack Catterall, was intimately familiar with controversial decisions in boxing.
Jack Catterall was indeed the victim of a very controversial decision in his first fight with Josh Taylor, with his trainers, Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis, outraged by the scorecards. Moore continued, highlighting a fundamental issue in boxing’s judging system: ‘The problem we’ve got is the way fights are scored. […] I don’t understand how you can have a ten-point scoring system and not use it, for instance if Dave Allen’s rounds that he won were way bigger than the rounds Fisher won, why not use the point system more effectively.’ Moore suggests boxing would benefit a great deal ‘if you score them in terms of the depth of the round, and how much they won the round by.’
The Definitive Rematch and Aftermath
The controversial nature of the first bout immediately sparked calls for a rematch. Despite Allen initially being hesitant, a comment from Fisher’s father on social media, accusing Allen of “pricing himself out,” ignited a fire in ‘The White Rhino’. The highly anticipated second fight took place on May 17, 2025, at London’s Copper Box Arena, a setting many believed was more fitting for such a significant domestic clash.
This time, Dave Allen left no doubt about the outcome. In a brutal and decisive performance, Allen stopped Johnny Fisher in the fifth round via technical knockout. Allen dropped Fisher twice in the round, with the second knockdown coming from a ferocious left hook right on the bell, as Fisher’s corner threw in the towel. Allen, showing respect for his opponent, refrained from celebrating immediately as paramedics attended to Fisher. With this victory, Dave Allen claimed the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title, a significant achievement in his career.
Implications for the Heavyweight Division
The rematch had profound implications for both fighters. For Dave Allen, the win was a redemption, proving his belief that he was the better man and silencing critics after the controversial first decision. His record improved to 24-7-2 (19 KOs) after the rematch. Since then, Allen has continued to be active, facing Arslanbek Makhmudov in October 2025, where he lost by unanimous decision, before securing a first-round TKO victory over Karim Berredjem in February 2026. Most recently, on May 16, 2026, Allen suffered a TKO loss in the third round against Filip Hrgovic, bringing his current record to 25-9-2 (20 KOs).
For Johnny Fisher, the TKO loss to Allen marked the first professional defeat of his career, moving his record to 13-1 (11 KOs). This setback prompted a change in his training camp, as he moved to work with Tony Simms in late 2025. Fisher has since rebounded, securing a fourth-round knockout victory over Ivan Balaz in December 2025, bringing his current record to 14-1 (12 KOs). The rivalry between ‘The Romford Bull’ and ‘The White Rhino’ now stands at 1-1, with both fighters having secured a definitive victory. While Eddie Hearn suggested Fisher would need to rebuild before a potential third fight, the possibility of another encounter between these two heavyweights remains a tantalizing prospect for boxing fans.
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