Mind Games Gone Wrong? Dave Allen Vs Makhmudov Preview

Dave Allen says he wants to tire out Arslanbek Mahmudov by playing mind games ahead of their 12-round fight on Saturday, October 11 at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. Their fight will be shown live on DAZN on Saturday. The event starts at 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM PT.

The smile war begins

Allen’s strategy is to intentionally annoy the big 6’5 1/2″ Russian (20-2, 19 KOs) by smiling. He admits it doesn’t seem to be working. Instead of looking angry, Khamudov seemed pleased with how friendly Allen was, as evidenced by his smiles.

Another strategy for Allen (24-7-2, 19 KO) is to evade Makhmudov’s firepower in the first quarter of the fight, then start to come forward in the fourth and fifth rounds. Perhaps Khamudov is still too strong at this point in the fight for Allen to attack.

In Arslanbek’s last defeat by eighth-round knockout to Guido Vianello on August 17, 2024, he was still throwing with great power in rounds five through seven. Mahmudov’s eye was swollen and infected, and he could barely see out of it. Even so, he was throwing huge haymakers with the intent to strike out. If it weren’t for Guido’s artistic ability, he would have been cut.

Allen will have to be careful not to get hit, as the shots Khamudov throws have a lot of power and weight. The big shots and right hands he’s throwing will do damage when or if they land on Allen. He has not faced a heavyweight of Makhmudov’s level in many years since his fight against Tony Yoka in 2018.

“I’m trying to annoy him. I’m not sure how well it’s going to work. I wanted him to try to hit my head. I was trying to piss him off. The sooner he gets tired, the better,” Dave Allen told talkSport Boxing of his desire to tire Arslanbek Mahmudov outside and in the ring.

Mahmudov does not blink

Allen doesn’t seem to understand Mahmudov very well. He seems completely indifferent to the mind games Allen is trying to play. Makhmudov has very much experience at the professional and amateur levels in Russia. Trying to annoy him is unlikely to succeed. Once again, Allen’s smile makes him look friendly. Khmudov even said in an interview that he thought Allen was a “nice” person.

“I can’t wait for rounds four and five to start. The sooner I can get him to take the smile off my face, the faster I can make it work. When he throws punches, I’ll duck and dive. I’ll get to work when he starts blowing.”

Since 2015, Ollie Campbell has provided readers with a clear view in the ring and a consistent voice on boxing’s biggest nights.