What To Know
- British fan favorite Dave “White Rhino” Allen is a significant underdog against top heavyweight contender Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic of Croatia in their main event Saturday in Allen’s hometown of Doncaster, England
- A win for the favorite Hrgovic could set him up for a matchup against rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma.
- The full fight card airs on DAZN Boxing in the U.S., with prelims at 10:55 a.m. ET/7:55 a.m. PT, followed by the main card at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Dave Allen of Doncaster, England, is already a winner ahead of his Saturday heavyweight matchup with Filip Hrgovic of Croatia.
Allen made a 50-thousand-pound bet ($66,640 U.S. dollars) with his training team ahead of camp that he would weigh in under 18 stone on Friday. That’s 252 pounds.
Allen delivered with an official weight of 248 and one-quarter pounds, his lightest weight in seven years. Hrgovic came in near his average weight in recent fights at 248 and three-quarters pounds.
Some serious leather being thrown tomorrow night… 🦏 🇭🇷 #AllenHrgovic | Saturday | EcoPowerStadium, Doncaster | @daznboxing pic.twitter.com/8wqFYMBuoR
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) May 15, 2026
Allen and Hrgovic will meet on Allen’s home turf in front of his devoted Doncaster fans at Keepmoat Stadium. The full fight card airs live on DAZN with prelims at 10:55 a.m. ET/7:55 a.m. PT, followed by the main card at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Dave Allen Dedicates Himself to Serious Training Camp
Allen committed himself to a full training camp, which hasn’t always been a given. He also stayed in condition after his October decision loss against Arslanbek Makhmudov. Now he’s in the best condition in many years, and he’ll need every bit of his preparation to put on a good effort against top-level contender Hrgovic.
Allen has always been painfully honest and says he knows his best chance of an upset victory is taking Hrgovic the distance. He trained accordingly. “Through experience you learn things, I think I overdid it for the Makhmudov fight, I trained too hard. I had a 14-week camp, but halfway through I was knackered,” said Allen.
“For this one, the same effort from the Makhmudov camp, but a much shorter camp. I’ve started camp in much better shape. Instead of doing 14 mad weeks, I’ve kept myself in decent shape. I’ve got a six, seven-week camp and I feel in much better shape.
“All I can do is get in the best shape, and have gameplan A, B, C and D. I’m full of confidence, I’m expecting a good reception, and hopefully I will take it in my stride,” said Allen, though he said he isn’t sure what his emotions will be during his ringwalk with every fan cheering for the ‘Doncaster De La Hoya.’
Filip Hrgovic Needs to Focus On The Job Saturday
Hrgovic is well aware there will be few fans on his side on Saturday. But he says it doesn’t matter to him, because those fans aren’t getting into the ring with him. Hrgovic intends to spoil the evening for the fans and avoid losing his opportunity to face bigger names with bigger purses.
“A loss would put me in a terrible position, so I cannot lose. I am ready for everything, I am not taking him lightly, I’m expecting a good fight,” said the Croatian nicknamed “El Animal.”
Hrgovic is already being suggested as a possible opponent for 21-year-old Moses Itauma at London’s O2 Arena. But Hrgovic can’t fall to boxing’s biggest cliché, overlooking his current opponent. Hrgovic also needs to avoid serious injuries by getting into a brawl with The White Rhino.
“Of course, I’ll fight anyone, but first I must win on Saturday,” said Hrgovic at this week’s final pre-fight news conference. “I must win, I must look good, I must have no injuries, we’ll see, but I’m open to fight anyone in the world.”
“If Filip Hrgovic loses to me, it’s game over, he’s done,” said Allen. “Filip likes a fight, and if he gets into a fight with me, he’ll be shocked.”
Last Charge for the White Rhino?
Allen is beloved by British fans for his honesty, his bravery, and his toughness. They don’t care one bit about his eight losses, just as they don’t care about Derek Chisora’s 14 losses. Allen has fared poorly when stepping up his competition a notch. But he never fails to deliver entertainment, and the fans find themselves rooting for their beloved underdog.
Allen has also been a valuable sparring partner for Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Anthony Joshua. It was his good fortune scoring the matchup in Saudi Arabia against Makhmudov, and against rising star Johnny Fisher on the Usyk vs Fury 2 undercard in Riyadh. Both are a long way from Doncaster, both on the map and in the life of the White Rhino.
Allen dropped Fisher in round five before being worn down in the later rounds. The effort got him a rematch, and he took Fisher apart. He got his shot against Makhmudov, and once again he’s a viable option for Hrgovic. Hrgovic needed a stay-busy fight when he found himself without an opponent.
Allen would love to reward the promoters and fans who have stuck by him all these years, but everything would have to go right with a sprinkling of luck to see Allen get the victory. Filip Hrgovic is not Arslandbek Mahkmudov.
But at age 34 with plenty of losses, Allen couldn’t possibly turn down this fight, and a win would truly qualify as shocking the world. But the losses on his record haven’t slowed Allen down yet. He remains a significant ticket seller, but if he takes his ninth loss after working himself into the best shape in recent years, his future must be in question.
Even a win isn’t going to see Allen standing in front of Moses Itauma anytime soon. But he fights to please the fans, and perhaps he would get another shot at a British title to end his boxing career on a high note.
Domestic Matchups Dominate Undercard Lineup
In the co-main event, lightweights Louie O’Doherty of Essex (11-0, 3 KOs) and Ahmed Hatim of London (12-0, 3 KOs) will compete to remain undefeated and win the British and vacant Commonwealth lightweight titles.
Lightweights Michael Gomez Jr. of Manchester (22-2, 7 KOs) and Lee McGregor of Edinburgh (16-2-1, 11 KOs) have been chirping at each other all week ahead of their ten-round bout.
Deep on the undercard, 36-year-old veteran Maxi Hughes (29-9-2, 6 KOs) will test prospect Lewis Sylvester of Yorkshire (18-1, 4 KOs) in a super lightweight fight. Sylvester’s only loss came to Sam Noakes in 2024. Hughes has lost his last two fights, and four of his last seven.
The remaining bouts on the card all feature an undefeated British prospect against lesser opposition.
Carl Fail vs. Dean Sutherland, ten rounds at super welterweight.
Joe Hayden vs. Ryan Frost, six rounds at welterweight
Ted Jackson vs. Mike Byles, six rounds at middleweight
Leighton Birchall vs. Leonardo Baez, four rounds at featherweight
Kian Hamilton vs. Les Urry, four rounds at super lightweight
John Tom Varey vs. Stephen Jackson, four rounds, super flyweight
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.