David Allen and Lucas Browne headline at the O2 this Saturday.

In his first appearance as the headline fighter, heavyweight David Allen 16-4-2 (13 Ko’s) takes on former WBA regular champion, Lucas Browne 28-1 (24 Ko’s) over 12 rounds at the O2 in London this coming Saturday 20th April, live on Sky sports and DAZN.. The 27 year old Allen has only been a professional for 7 years but has faced some of the world leading heavyweights in an up and down career.. The 4 losses have largely been against top drawer fighters, Dillian Whyte, luis Ortiz and Tony Yoka, each time offering a respectable account of himself in gruelling fights..   More recently Allen scored an impressive knockout of the highly favoured Nick Webb, resurrecting his career as a relevant name, contrasted by a lazy drawn out brawl with an 8-1 Ariel Bracamonte last November a performance so poor that it inspired Allen to knuckle down and dedicate himself to his craft..  After several months of devotion, solely focussed on Browne, Allen feels that this version of himself can have no excuses if he fails to beat Lucas Browne on Saturday, with the help of newly appointed coach Darren Barker, he assures there have been no stones left unturned..
Browne isn’t a stranger to these shores, he’s boxed here numerous times whilst under the Hatton promotional banner and more recently, in his sole loss, a 2018 knockout at the hands of their common opponent Dillian Whyte.. There are no secrets about Lucas, he’s a big, strong 40 year old puncher, who is dangerous for as long as you stand in front of him.. In 2016, whilst making a routine WBA title defence, a complacent Ruslan Chagaev found out the hard way, walking onto huge shots late in a fight in which he was leading to suffer a shock knockout, in what stands out as the Australians biggest win to date.. Lucas lost the title amidst drug allegations but has still remained relevant and active with 3 solid victories in the year since the Whyte defeat.. The bout is an intriguing one, the huge puncher against one of the most notoriously durable heavyweights around, both have fallen short at the highest level, but both have also proven that they belong in the fringes of contention.. In the heavyweights, you are only a couple of big wins away from title fights.. The loser on Saturday has a long way back to climb, but the winner has several lucrative options, including fights with names like David Price and Dereck Chisora (the latter appearing in a feature bout on the O2 card.) Browne v Allen is not one for the purists, but it has its place in today’s wide open heavyweight landscape..