ENDANGERED SPECIES
AT a time when a working-class sport revered for its ability to reveal the truth has never seemed so disingenuous, the departure of Doncaster’s Dave Allen, a heavyweight both painfully and perfectly honest, feels a bit like a death in the family.
Still just 28 years of age, Allen announced his retirement in November following several cancelled fights and just one completed fight – a victory – since being badly beaten by David Price in July 2019. He retired with a professional record of 18-5-2 (15), but was, in the end, about more than statistics and achieved more, both in terms of wealth and popularity, than most would have expected when he turned pro in 2012.
There have of course been many down-to-earth working-class heroes in boxing over the years, yet what I think made the ‘White Rhino’ special was that he came along during an era when the emphasis seemed to be on moving away from that kind of boxer in favour of boxers offering personas and an illusion, with failings and insecurities concealed rather than embraced. Allen was, in that sense, an anomaly. That and a breath of fresh air.
No, he was never close to becoming the best heavyweight in Britain, much less the world, but never did Allen suggest that was within reach, either. Nor did he ever say he was fit when he wasn’t fit. Nor did he ever say he was ‘living his best life’ when stuck in bed struggling beneath the
