Right then. Wednesday morning in Doncaster, three days out, and the open workout at the Eco-Power Stadium yesterday told the story I expected: Filip Hrgovic looking serious, calm, in shape; Dave Allen looking like Dave Allen, which is to say charming, cracking jokes, and pretending the size and skill difference doesn’t bother him.
The Build To Saturday
Main card 18:00 BST on DAZN, ringwalks after 21:00 BST. Doncaster is sold out. Allen has built a proper, loyal following over the years and the Eco-Power crowd will be properly into it on Saturday night.
Hrgovic arrived on Sunday, Allen never left. Final press conference is tomorrow. Weigh-in Friday lunchtime at the venue.
The Itauma Clause — Why This Fight Matters
Let’s not beat around the bush — the reason this is a stadium main event and not a back-end DAZN appetiser is the clause in Hrgovic’s multi-fight Queensberry deal. Frank Warren signed Filip on the understanding that the next fight, if he beats Allen, is a proper one: Moses Itauma, Daniel Dubois, Fabio Wardley, or Agit Kabayel. Pick from the four.
That’s the kind of next-fight menu most heavyweights would do laps of the gym for. Hrgovic has it written into ink. If he gets through Saturday looking sharp, the August 8 O2 date that Itauma is booked for becomes a very interesting conversation.
Allen’s Honest Chance
Make no mistake — Allen is not coming for a payday. He’s in proper shape this camp. The story he’s been telling all week is that he’s 23-pounds lighter than his last comeback fight and has been sparring at Ricky Hatton’s gym in Manchester with high-level cruiserweights to mimic Hrgovic’s movement.
Where Allen wins this: he needs to weather the first three rounds without going to the canvas, work the body, and back Hrgovic up. The big Croatian has historically tired in championship rounds, and Allen’s grit is real.
Where Allen loses this: Hrgovic’s jab. It’s heavy, accurate, and Allen has had problems with right hands behind the jab for years.
Hrgovic’s Job
Hrgovic needs to do what Joshua did to Allen at the O2 in 2019 — jab, jab, walk Allen onto the right hand, and get him out inside three. Anything more than five rounds and the Itauma camp will start saying Hrgovic looked stale, didn’t handle the pressure, etc. Filip’s got the goods to make it quick.
What he can’t afford: standing in front of Allen and trading body shots. That’s the Allen wheelhouse. Use the legs, work behind the jab, find the chin.
Itauma Watching
Moses Itauma headlines the O2 on August 8. His opponent isn’t named yet. Frank Warren’s preferred line: hold the opponent announcement until after Saturday so the Hrgovic narrative writes itself. If Hrgovic looks brilliant against Allen, you put him in with Itauma in August.
If Hrgovic looks ordinary — or worse, gets dragged into a war — then Warren pivots and Itauma gets a softer name to pad his next fight.
Saturday night is auditioning for August 8 as much as it is for the W on the night.
Luke’s Pick
Hrgovic by stoppage, round eight. Allen has the courage to make it interesting in the first half, but the levels are too far apart and Filip’s jab is too good. Look for a heavy right hand in round six to put Allen on the canvas, and a referee’s stoppage two rounds later when the body work catches up.
If you know, you know — Allen vs Hrgovic is a fight you watch for the moments. The result is written. The next chapter, for the man whose hand gets raised, is the proper one.