Dave Allen has pointed to a loss at the hands of David Price as a major turning point in his professional boxing career.
As he readies himself for a domestic level comeback, Allen spoke to Boxing Social about one particular moment that changed him completely.
In 2019, ‘The White Rhino’ (21-5-2, 18 KOs) found himself on one of the ups of a rollercoaster campaign.
He was coming off the back of a spectacular body shot stoppage over Lucas Browne in a fight that saw him headline the O2 Arena, and was catching Price after his prime years.
Heading into the fight, Allen believed he ‘was the man.’
“Life’s been different, really. Pre David Price and post David Price. Pre David Price, I was the man. To put it bluntly, I was everywhere. I was sponsored by some of the biggest companies in the UK, I was everyone’s best mate.
Post David Price, nobody wants to know you, really. And then post retirement, nobody wants to know you.”
The bout didn’t match its entertaining build-up. The Doncaster fighter was battered on the night until his cornerman, Darren Barker, threw in the towel after the tenth.
Although he didn’t retire until over a year later, this was likely the tipping point for the fan-favourite heavyweight at that level. Both the Price loss and hanging up the gloves had big ramifications in his personal life.
“I reckon I speak to probably three people in boxing altogether now. Not that I dislike any of them, you just see who your friends are and who aren’t. It was difficult, after Price, it was hard.
“More so after I retired it was difficult. Lot of promises made – we’re gonna do this, we’ll get you doing this – none of it came to fruition. I made a lot of money from [Lucas] Browne and Price, but it don’t last forever. When you’ve got a kid and a missus, you’ve got a house and you don’t have any income.
“I boxed Dorian Darch in February [2020] and I didn’t really make a penny until I boxed the Italian [Andrea Pesce, Aug 21].”
Allen returned to the ring recently in a low-level affair in Malta, and is keen to keep progressing back up the ranks to land one more ‘big fight.’