Arslanbek Makhmudov may have just punched his ticket to face Anthony Joshua.

Makhmudov defeated fan-favorite British heavyweight Dave Allen by unanimous decision (115-111, 116-110, 117-109) in a brutal affair Saturday afternoon at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England.

Advertisement

“Anthony Joshua, where are you guy? I come for you, guy,” Makhmudov said after his win. “I come for you, brother. We spoke already with him on Instagram. He gave me [his] word [that] he [is] going to fight with me next year. I’m ready, brother.”

Joshua and Allen are both promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. With Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) defeating Allen, Matchroom owns promotional options on the Russian, potentially opening the doors for Makhmudov to face Joshua when the former champ returns to the ring, likely in early 2026.

Allen (24-8-2, 19 KOs) had Makhmudov off balance early in the contest with a left hook, but Makhmudov quickly settled into his rhythm and began to unload on Allen’s guard with straight shots soon after. Although Makhmudov wasn’t always landing clean on Allen’s chin, the punches were heavy and clearly had an effect on Allen.

Advertisement

Makhmudov rocked Allen with a left hook just before the two-minute mark of Round 2. Allen had some success late in Round 2, but was clearly outworked by the Russian otherwise. Allen spent much of the first two rounds on the back foot and with his back to the ropes, but the Doncaster heavyweight began to drive Makhmudov back more from Round 3 onward.

Allen finally sprung into life in the contest in Round 5. “The White Rhino” connected to the body with a hook and lifted Makhmudov’s head up with a combination. He had Makhmudov against the ropes and let his hands go on the inside, finding more success with his uppercuts.

Advertisement

The expectation was that Makhmudov would tire in the second half of the fight and Allen would take over. Allen’s success in Round 5 was expected to be the beginning of that, however the fight didn’t play to the script. Makhmudov’s volume remained constant throughout the second half of the bout, and although Allen was doing more than he had done in previous rounds, he was still comfortably outworked.

Makhmudov was deducted a point in Round 7 for holding, which helped Allen, but the Brit was still a mile behind on the scorecards.

Allen found a home for an overhand right just after the one-minute mark in Round 9. It was the most success he had had since the fifth round, and the Sheffield crowd of more than 9,000 urged him on.

Advertisement

Allen continued to plod forward and push Makhmudov back, going to work at close range. An uppercut followed by a combination had Makhmudov badly rocked — and he desperately needed the bell to save him.

To begin Round 10, however, Allen looked to be the one tiring. Makhmudov recovered well and Allen couldn’t follow up on his breakthrough. Makhmudov’s activity saw him add 10 points apiece to his tally in both Rounds 10 and 11. Allen knew he needed a knockout heading into Round 12.

Makhmudov was deducted a second point in the final minute of Round 12. The point deduction for holding appeared tactical because it followed an overhand right from Allen that looked to have troubled the Russian. Allen went for broke late, swinging from the hips, but it wasn’t enough to earn the biggest win of his career.

Allen entered the contest riding a wave of resurgent momentum following a career-best win this past May in London when he knocked out undefeated Matchroom prospect Johnny Fisher.

Advertisement

As for Makhmudov, his unbeaten run was ended by Agit Kabayel in a shock defeat in December 2023. The Russian rebounded with a win in May 2024, but was then stopped again by Guido Vianello in August the same year. After knocking out Ricardo Brown this past June and clawing past Allen in enemy territory on Saturday, Makhmudov could indeed be set for another chance at a big heavyweight fight.

Check out full Makhmudov vs. Allen results and highlights below, as well as Uncrowned’s play-by-play of the main card.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

Main Card

Heavyweight: Arslanbek Makhmudov def. Dave Allen via unanimous decision (115-111, 116-110, 117-109)

Advertisement

Super welterweight: Bilal Fawaz def. Junaid Bostan via majority decision (96-95, 95-95, 96-94)

Super featherweight: Josh Padley def. Reece Bellotti via unanimous decision (99-92, 97-93, 97-93)

Flyweight: Hamza Uddin def. Paul Roberts via fifth-round TKO | Watch video

Prelims

Super featherweight: Ibraheem Sulaimaan def. James Chereji via points (80-72)

Light heavyweight: Conner Tudsbury def. Khalid Graidia via fourth-round TKO | Watch video

Welterweight: Joe Hayden def. Angelo Dragone via points (60-53)

Lightweight: Joe Howarth def. Karl Sampson via points (60-54)