Dave Allen is not sure when he will fight again.

Promoter Eddie Hearn had hoped to get the popular Doncaster fighter out again early in 2026 but Allen has not been in training since his comprehensive loss to Arslanbak Makhmudov in October. His weight has gone up by more than 20lbs in that time.

Asked whether he would fight in February, as initially reported, Allen said: “Unconvinced by that, I think we’re going back to Sheffield in May. So, I spoke to Eddie the other day, I wanted to box November in Birmingham, and then that never happened. And then I put two stone (almost 30lbs) on. And then, it’s difficult without boxing. My life spirals pretty quick if I’m not fighting. So I put loads of weight on. I just said to Eddie, look, give me a ring. I need some structure in my life. And so he rung me the other day and said, ‘We’re going to Sheffield in May, but we have to have one before.’

“So I don't know.”

Allen’s weight has climbed even though he was straight back in the gym and even sparring almost immediately after losing to the big Russian.

“Even at nearly 34, I’m still very childlike,” Allen admitted. “So I need a constant something going off.”

Asked whether he took the loss hard, after such a big build-up, Allen – now 24-8-2 (19 KOs) – shrugged: “No, not really, no. I didn’t really expect to beat him, as mad as that sounds. I wanted to, and we tried to, but I knew it was a big ask. I’ve never won an Area title in boxing, and I boxed a top 20 heavyweight in the world. I think I’m better than Area title level. I think I’m a good fighter, but I was never overly confident of beating Makhmudov. That’s just my character. People always say I’m negative. I’m not negative. I’m a thinker, an over-thinker as well. So I wasn’t down about it because I wasn’t overly expectant of winning, as mad as that might sound.”

Since the 33-year-old last fought, Jeamie TKV has lifted the British heavyweight title, and Allen has been linked to fighting for that belt. He didn’t watch TKV defeat Frazer Clarke in a hard fight on the BBC, though perhaps moot as he’s unconvinced he will face the resurgent heavyweight. 

Allen is with Matchroom and TKV is with Boxxer.

For now, Allen is enjoying the down time.

“I just like being at home, really,” he said. “I’m a bit of a homebody. I think because people think I’m quite outspoken [that he likes to be out], but I think I’m painfully shy, really. But I do what I have to do. I will fight forever. I need it, though. If I’m not training for a fight, or have a fight in mind, my life just spirals. I’ve got the kids now, luckily. So I don't go mad anymore. I’ll just keep going. I still worry about life after boxing. I have other things going on now, which give me less worry financially, or whatever else. Yeah, I worry massively. Life after boxing, yeah, I do worry about it a lot.”

Allen is managing fighters, too.

“The kids are my insurance policy, to remain out of trouble and normal,” he added of his fighters.

Once he does return, Allen - who’s had a carousel of coaches over the years - plans to stick with Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis.

“Yeah, that's the plan. Anything that ever happens in my boxing career, good or bad, really, is mainly down to the boxer, I think,” he said.

“I lost to Makhmudov. I took all the blame for that. That was me.”

“I didn't listen to a word that was said to me in the corner. I panicked. I've got a lot of experience, but I panicked. Yeah, I panicked. I don't lay blame on trainers, ever. At the same time, when I do well, I think I’ve done the hard work, you know what I mean?”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.