Boxing
'I was planning on retiring!' - Dave Allen eyeing new chapter after controversial Johnny Fisher defeat
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Dave Allen admitted he planned to retire after his bout with Johnny Fisher this weekend, but has now changed his mind after a controversial split-decision defeat in Riyadh.
The White Rhino fought the Romford Bull on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, and gave a fine performance.
Allen dropped Fisher in the ring, and appeared to be destined for an upset victory before he lost on the scorecards, with two judges backing his opponent instead.
The decision was met with much shock across the venue, and speaking afterwards, Allen admitted that he felt his display had vindicated his abilities while suggesting a change to his future plans.
"I said the other day that I used to be one of the hardest men in British boxing, and a lot of people laughed," he told The Stomping Ground . "But I thought that I was.
"Tonight, I went some way to proving it. The important thing is that I get to go again now and the young fighters I work with are going to get opportunities off the back of this.
"For me, that’s just as big as having another chance myself. I was planning on retiring this afternoon. I can’t do this again, and I don’t think I’ve got it anymore.
"But I think I might now. With that performance, I’ve definitely got to go again. I had zero confidence in myself by the time I got here.
"That’s just me as a person. I’m a very negative person. It felt like overall, I’d won it. But you score it round-by-round and not the fight as a whole."
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