Friday 21 April 2017

Allen v Thomas added to Brook v Spence, Sheffield card.


On the 27th of May on the Brook v Spence card at Bramall Lane Sheffield, aspiring heavyweight contenders David Allen and Lenroy Thomas meet for the vacant Commonwealth title..   Both fighters have had ups and downs but neither could be described as anyone's pushover ..

25 year old David Allen is a heavyweight with ambition, 4 and a half years a pro and only 14 bouts he's eager to impress and fearless..   Up until 2016 Allen was 10 fights unbeaten, only a draw to Plamen Nikolov in 2014 blemishing his record, when he found himself in a huge domestic grudge match with Dillian Whyte by way of social media. Allen lost a unanimous decision but covered himself in glory with his durability and bravery against the more experienced Whyte..  5 months later Whyte again showed his character by stepping in to face unbeaten 26-0  Cuban Luis Ortiz in Manchester, lasting 7 rounds before being saved from himself by referee Darren Sarginson..  8 weeks later, in February of this year David returned to action, supercharged on making a statement, scoring a one round Ko over Lukasz Rusiewicz in Hull, then 7 days later demolishing 12-4 David Howe in 2 at the O2..   David is currently 11-2-1 (8 Ko's)

32 year old Lenroy Thomas turned pro 11 years ago, losing his debut to an obscure character named Ruben Rivera, before going on a sensational 16 fight winning streak..  Thomas faced defeat for a second time in 2010, this time being stopped in 4 by Aaron Lyons, a damaging loss that was followed by a 3 year ring absence..  In 2013  the Caribbean native was handed the opportunity to face the unbeaten Dominick Breazeale on the Abner Mares v Jhonny Gonzales card in California, the step up following the inactivity saw Thomas knocked out once again in 4, by his most noted opponent to date..
The return in 2014 saw Thomas score 2 straight wins, over Travis Fulton and Jason Pauley, followed by a bizarre 7 round split verdict over Jason Estrada, in a bout where both fighters were forced to box a 7th tie-breaking round at the conclusion of a 6 round draw, as part of an ESPN tourney.. 2015 would see Thomas lose once more, this time to tough Andrey Fedosov in 3.. Lenroy's most recent outing was a 4th round knockout over Grover Young 10 months ago..
Lenroy is 20-4 (10 Ko's)

Despite his 7 years more experience, Thomas and Allen aren't that far removed from each other, both guys falling short on their two biggest opportunities yet both guys eager to impress regardless of shortfalls..  Thomas, based in Florida spends time sparring in good company with Luis Ortiz, while Allen has been cutting his teeth sparring guys like Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua..  Both guys have had a taste of the big stage and understand what it requires to take that next step..  This fight provides that platform for both..  Its a very intriguing fight.

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