Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn has been one of the best promoters of the sport for roughly a decade but even he has made mistakes; ones that he appears to have learned from after staking out his intentions to ensure David Allen could challenge for a world title ― the virtual opposite of how he handled Chantelle Cameron following her initial victory over Katie Taylor.
David Allen (24-7-2, 19 KO’s), who beat a stablemate in fellow Brit Johnny Fisher (13-1, 11 KO’s) during their last fight [one of two held this year], had been regarded as one of the best British heavyweight (200+ lbs) prospects before several losses forced him into pseudo-retirement in 2020 ― though he would go on to return in 2021 to engage in a slow-moving process that pitted him against journeyman-level fighters.
Aside from a contest against Olympic bronze medalist Frazer Clarke in 2020, Allen remained under the radar for the most part before a fight with Matchroom golden boy Johnny Fisher in December of last year allowed Allen to make a well-deserved impact in the division again.
Though Allen lost the first bout against Fisher controversially, their second match [held in May] saw Allen cause an upset to put him closer to the point of contention. Though not yet regarded as a genuine title contender, there appear to be plenty of fights on the horizon for David Allen to ultimately vie for a world title, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
“We got a decision to make. We like the Jeamie TKV [Jeamie Tshikeva] fight. I know it’s been talked about [and] I’ve spoken to his team,” Hearn told IFL TV.
“They’ve asked for a number that we’ve basically agreed to, but I’ve told them, we are negotiating for some big fights as well. I’ll be honest. Initially, when the [Joseph] Parker fight came ― and there was two other fights of big heavyweight names that we were offered and we’re still talking about, Dave was like all in on those fights because obviously it was a few on sweets, and he was absolutely buzzing.
“And then he just started thinking, ‘you know what. I really want to win the British title. I’ve kind of made the decision before to jump up the levels just for the money or just for the opportunity, and I’m in a good place now’. So it’s a tough decision. And if TKV don’t mess around, I think there’s a good chance that fight could be next. If not, we’ll go and have a big fight.”
Eddie Hearn would further expand on Johnny Fisher’s future, remarking that the London-born fighter would be facing lesser opposition following his loss to David Allen.
Jeamie Thsikeva, the primary prospective opponent for David Allen, is coming off a controversial loss to Queensberry Promotions fighter David Adeleye and appears well-matched for Allen to continue his progress in the heavyweight division.
New Zealand WBO interim champion Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KO’s) could also face Allen for what easily fit the bill as a “big fight”, but depends on whether Allen will be ranked in the top 15 of the WBO’s ranking boards in order for him to be eligible to fight for Parker’s title.
Aside from the two opponents, other unnamed heavyweights with name recognition are also on the cards for Allen, balancing out his career with relevant opportunities that could further improve his chances for a world title if he would come out on top.
Notably, the same opportunities for former Matchroom fighter Chantelle Cameron (20-1, 8 KO’s) was conspicuously absent when Hearn was promoting her.
Off the back of a win over Irish future Hall of Famer Katie Taylor (24-1, 6 KO’s) in 2023 while defending all her undisputed super lightweight (140 lbs) titles, Cameron was placed in a rematch not long after ― one she would end up losing though not without controversy.
In contrast to Hearn’s willingness to further Allen’s career while simultaneously not neglecting that of the 26-year old Johnny Fisher, Cameron seemed to have been deprioritized in favor of Taylor which arguably led to her departure from Matchroom to Queensberry Promotions.
Chantelle Cameron currently holds the WBC interim title at 140 lbs and remains the most viable challenger around ― though any attempts to fight Katie Taylor will have to be held off until Taylor’s upcoming July 11th trilogy bout against Amanda Serrano has concluded.
Cameron is further set to defend her interim title against Canadian former world title challenger Jessica Camara (14-4-1, 3 KO’s) on the Taylor-Serrano III card.
