Allen was outpointed by the giant Eastern European in front of a raucous Sheffield crowd as he struggled to get past Makhmudov’s jab . 

There were moments of brief success for Allen as he was able to get through in the later sessions as the bout took its toll on both men. 

When Makhmudov was declared as the winner, Allen was humble in his setback and admitted that he may not be up to it at the highest level.  

Before the contest, there has been speculation that Allen could be in line to face Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder in 2026 if he was to secure victory over Makhmudov . 

Those plans have now been shelved, but Hearn, Allen’s promoter, is insistent that the Doncaster man can still feature in some meaningful fights moving forward. 

“Dave Allen will come again,” said Hearn when speaking to The Stomping Ground . 

“In his contract he has a comeback fight, but I really want to sit down with him because I think he’s one of the biggest names in British boxing. If he can keep improving, he can come again in big fights. 

“I’ve already had two phone calls tonight for big fights for Dave Allen. They’re looking at that crowd and going ‘who is this guy?’ At this time, I’m sad but I'm also excited for the future of Dave Allen.”

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