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Philippines, 15 Feb 2026 |
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DAVE ALLEN VS ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV SHEFFIELD PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES PhilBoxing.com Fri, 10 Oct 2025  Dave Allen warned Arslanbek Makhmudov that Saturday night – in front of over 8,000 fans at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, live worldwide on DAZN – is his “world title fight”. The two heavyweights collide this weekend as part of a bumper, back-to-back blockbuster Fight Night for Matchroom Boxing with Boots vs Lima in Philadelphia to look forward to afterwards. Makhmudov, at 6ft 7in, towered over the ‘White Rhino’ as they faced-off in front of media at Thursday’s Press Conference. And although Allen is under no illusions that a gigantic test awaits in his native Yorkshire, he made it clear that he is in no mood to be messed with when the bells rings in less than 48 hours. Frank Smith, Matchroom Boxing CEO: “It’s a huge weekend. We’re here in Sheffield, 10,000 people for Dave Allen vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov – a brilliant fight. Then we’re over in Philadelphia Jaron Boots Ennis, one of the pound-for-pound top ten fighters. He’ll have over 10,000 people in Philly. Our business is about being the global boxing home, and that’s what we’ve got. All live on DAZN. I’m excited for it. Dave Allen is taking a real test against Makhmudov who is a huge puncher. This can change his life, and he deserves every bit of it. “I’ve got to be honest, a few years ago I felt like it was the end of his career because he wasn’t applying himself like he is now. He’s giving it 100% now. As the person that he is, he deserves every bit of it. He deserves to go all the way to the top of the sport. He can do that. With the way he is training now, there is no limit to where Dave Allen can go. He’s got the commercial element, and if he can get in the ring and deliver a huge performance on Saturday night, he sets himself up for the biggest fights in the Heavyweight division.” Dave Allen: “Hello everyone. Yeah, very proud. I walked in here today; it’s like the Dave Allen show. It’s mad. This is my fourth headline event, two in England, one in Paris. I’ve never been the guy before though; I’ve never been the man. I feel like THE man. It’s a weird feeling. “I’ve got Joe Hayden and Joe Howarth on the card as well. It’s just one of the best weeks of my life really. This is what I worked for. I’ve been in that Mercure Hotel for the last ten years; Kell Brook undercards, Dalton Smith undercards – just happy to be on the bill really. Now I’m the guy. “People keep asking me what’s next, but this is my World Title fight. This is the biggest fight of my career. I don’t fight for the money. I don’t fight for any of that stuff. The money is great, it is what it is, I don’t see it anyway – my Mrs spends it I never see it. I want the respect now. I want people to say that I’m a top-class Heavyweight. I have to beat this man to do that. “I’ll probably never be Heavyweight Champion on the World, but if I beat this man to my left, people will say that I’m a top top Heavyweight, and that is all I want. This is my World Title fight on Saturday, this is it for me. When I’m in the moody I’m a very very hard man to shift.” Arslanbek Makhmudov: “Hello everyone. I am very happy to be here. This is my first time in the UK, I am very excited. Thank you very much. This fight is a big opportunity for me, first of all. This fight can open the door for some big names. Second thing, it’s a fight for my life. I have to win, and do everything for that. Thank you. “He’s a nice guy, a nice person. A family guy, similar like me. It’s nothing personal, Saturday night it’s just boxing. Whoever boxes better wins, it’s just sport. We’re both earning money to put food on the table for our families. That’s it. “Dave has a very interesting style. He’s a good boxer. It’s going to be two different styles on Saturday and we will see who is going to be better.” Marc Ramsey, trainer of Makhmudov: “Every fight, every sparring, every training, we try to learn something, to be better boxers. It’s very simple. He is a real professional. He had an amazing training camp. We have no injury and no excuses. We’re ready to perform, we’re ready to win, and we’re ready to give the Sheffield people a good show on Saturday night. “We respect him [Dave Allen]. He never pretends to be the best fighter in the world. He’s a real man: balls, courage – we respect that. We know on the night of the fight he’s not going to complain about having a bad night or something like this. He’s going to deliver what he has to deliver. We respect that, but we will prepare for this. “I don’t want to speak about this (when asked for a prediction) because when you go through that kind of big fight you need to be ready for everything. If something happens and it’s a knockout, then good. If this is a decision, then this is a decision. You have to be ready for everything.” Jamie Moore, trainer for Dave Allen: “In all honesty, he’s probably the best version he could possibly be. That’s down to his work ethic; his mindset has changed over the past couple of years. I think the realisation that when you get into sort of 30/32 you start to think, ‘I could be coming to the end of my career now and I need to make the best of the years that I have left’. He’s certainly doing that. He’s applying himself unbelievably well in the gym, he’s got a massive task ahead of himself on Saturday. He’s put himself in the perfect position to be able to pull it off. “If you beat somebody like Makhmudov then you’re in a position where you can be fighting anybody in the sort of top five in the world. That’s the positives. The downside to it is, look at the size of the guy, he’s a huge man. He’s very powerful. Dave is going to have to be at his very best. He’s going to have to tough is out. It’s not going to be easy. This version of Dave Allen is virtually capable of beating any Heavyweight in the world. What do you see being the difference? How do you see your man winning? “Ring craft, experience, the fact that this version of Dave nobody has really seen. He’s never been in this position where he’s applied himself in the training camp before. There’s a little bit of an element of surprise there as well.  |
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