Tonight in Doncaster, trainer Jamie Moore threw in the towel in the third round to prevent Dave Allen from taking any further punishment at the heavy hands of Filip Hrgovic.
Allen was a significant underdog on paper, and once the opening bell rang, events unfolded exactly as many expected, even despite a vocal home support at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Hrgovic outgunned the Brit from the off and did not relent until the towel came in, with Allen throwing wild and landing little in return. Though he looked disappointed in the moment, the hometown hero said post-fight that he trusts his trainers, Moore and Nigel Travis, implicitly.
“These two, they’ve been with me through it all. I love them to death. If Jamie and Nige say enough’s enough, enough’s enough. Thank you for looking after me. If Jamie and Nige think the stoppage is the right choice, it’s the right choice.”
Allen made no excuses for his loss, saying that Hrgovic is simply too good for him, and he thanked his fans for the support regardless.
Few will argue with Moore’s call, particularly given Hrgovic’s reputation as one of the division’s most durable heavyweights, making the chances of Allen landing one decisive shot increasingly slim. His decision, and it would not have been an easy one with the vocal crowd, allows his man to drop back down a level and fight another day.
Moore’s decision comes at a time amid ongoing debate on whether or not Ben Davison and team should have pulled Fabio Wardley out of his gruelling battle with Daniel Dubois earlier than the referee stoppage in the eleventh round. Tonight, Allen’s team wanted to leave nothing to chance.