Watch Whyte vs Rivas, Allen-Price, Chisora-Szpilka and more on a bumper O2 bill, Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Thursday 18 July 2019 19:53, UK
David Allen can take another leap up the heavyweight ladder with victory over David Price this Saturday, but what do our panel make of the fan favourite 'White Rhino'?
Alllen and Price meet as part of a heavy-handed blockbuster at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office, both hoping to begin an assault on the higher echelons of the heavyweight rankings.
But, now teamed up with Darren Barker, is Allen a serious contender or simply a cult hero?
We will find out on Saturday, It was hard to take him seriously early on when he was taking fights on short notice and was grossly out of shape and condition. Now with Darren Barker he seems like a whole new athlete, I'm interested to see what an in-shape and motivated David Allen can bring to the table.
Can he deal with the elite heavyweight power that David Price has?
He's a fan-friendly fighter with a great personality, a nice guy, but can he deal with the elite heavyweight power that David Price has?
He's both, he can be a cult hero and a contender. He's taking himself seriously now so we will take him seriously and, with Barker helping him out, I think he can do the business.
He's taking himself seriously now so we will take him seriously.
I think Allen will back Price up and tire him out, eventually getting to him and finding the stoppage. There's a chance Price wipes him out, he does have that power punch, but if Allen does win then we really have to sit up and take note.
He's a cult hero, not a contender.
He's not a contender, he's a cult hero. Contender is a strong word to use for such a lad like that. I've got a lot of respect for Allen and he's a really nice person but you can't have losses to the guys you've got losses to and be a contender.
Allen is a cult hero. He knows his limitations but will always give it his all, and he will again on Saturday night. Ambition wise, to become a world champion, I don't think that's there. I'd struggle to fight on if I didn't think I could become world champion, some fighters can. David Allen loves to fight and he knows what he is capable of, he loves his job.
Ambition wise, to become a world champion, I don't think that's there.
He can step up a level each time but, when he boxed Ortiz for example, it showed he's a great gatekeeper and can give someone a hell of a fight on his day. In reality, he's a very good domestic/European fighter.
He's a bit of both, he has the talent to possibly be a contender, at the moment he's more known as a character, he's not a bad fighter.
Calling him a cult hero underestimates his boxing ability.
Calling him a cult hero underestimates his boxing ability whereas contender maybe overestimates him at the moment, he has potential though. Price is a barometer to see where Allen is. Stylistically, it could be tough.
There's a massive gulf between the top heavyweights, Fury, Wilder, Joshua, Whyte etc, and the tier below. We will find out about Allen against Price but there will still be a lot of answers after the fight.
Is he good enough to reach world title level? I don't think so.
Is he good enough to reach world title level? I don't think so, but he's a great domestic fighter, at British, even European level, he's a good fighter.
We will find this out, up to now he's been the cult hero but now we want to see if he can go on a become a contender. The fight with Price will show us where he's at. Price is a big puncher, well-schooled, obviously he has his vulnerabilities.
Allen has definitely improved his ambitions and he's training properly, now he needs to make that move.
Allen has definitely improved his ambitions and he's training properly, he's now not just someone to test top guys, he believes he can beat them. Now's the time to make that move.
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Oscar Rivas on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
