Episode summary
British heavyweight Dave Allen returned to the show to discuss his upcoming fight against Thomas Cardi on Katie Taylor's retirement card at Croke Park on September 5th before an expected crowd of 85,000. Allen, known as 'the White Rhino' from Doncaster, made headlines by announcing he will retire after his 40th professional fight if he cannot defeat Cardi, whom he views as a fighter at the level he should be beating at this stage of his career. The 31-year-old fighter opened up about the controversial ending to his recent loss against Philip Hrgovic in Doncaster, revealing he was 'highly pissed off' when his corner threw in the towel in the third round. Allen defended himself against accusations he was a 'con man' who didn't prepare properly, insisting he trained hard and felt robbed of his opportunity to leave everything in the ring on his homecoming night. Despite the public criticism, Allen confirmed he's staying with his longtime coaches after having an honest conversation about the stoppage. Allen also discussed his burgeoning career as a manager and promoter, revealing he now manages 17 fighters and negotiated slots for them on major cards as part of his Cardi fight deal, prioritizing his fighters' opportunities over his own purse. He made a bold prediction that AJ Babatunde will knock out Hrgovic in one round, calling Babatunde 'the next big thing' in the heavyweight division. Allen revealed he's fighting again in three weeks at a self-promoted show in Doncaster before the Cardi bout, maintaining his active schedule. The unfiltered fighter also shared his thoughts on the Rico Verhoeven-Oleksandr Usyk controversy, Jon Jones potentially boxing, and his belief that there's 'nothing he can't do' after boxing, including potential ventures into WWE and other entertainment.
