Filip Hrgović Stops Dave Allen in Three Rounds | Full Card Review

Under the lights at Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium, Queensberry Promotions latest heavyweight showcase carried a very different atmosphere to the usual British boxing nostalgia trip. Dave Allen’s homecoming was marketed as another chapter in the ‘White Rhino’ story, but by the end of the night Filip Hrgović had silenced the crowd and reminded everybody exactly what world-level heavyweight boxing looks like.

The card blended the familiar Queensberry formula of established names and unbeaten prospects alongside domestic title fights, but the evening ultimately belonged to Hrgović. Clinical and completely unforgiving, the Croatian dismantled Dave Allen inside three rounds and reignited his position within the heavyweight picture.

A Brutal Reality Check

Dave Allen has always occupied a unique place within British boxing. Few fighters connect with crowds quite the way he does, building his popularity through personality as much as performances. Doncaster felt like another chance at a fairytale moment. Instead, it became a painful reminder of the gap between domestic-level heavyweights and genuine world-class operators.

From the opening bell, Filip Hrgović looked several levels above Allen technically. The Croatian established his jab almost immediately, controlling range with the kind of ease that never allowed Allen to settle into the chaotic fight many believed he needed.

Allen attempted to pressure early, throwing himself forward behind looping shots and trying to drag Hrgović into uncomfortable exchanges. But where Allen relies on toughness, Hrgović relied on precision. Every missed Allen attack created another opening for straight right hands and sharp counters down the middle.

The physical differences quickly became impossible to ignore. Hrgović’s reach and balance consistently forced Allen to reset before he could build momentum. Whenever Allen edged forward, he walked directly into clean punches.

By the second round, the pattern was firmly established. Hrgović began sitting down harder on his shots, mixing uppercuts with straight rights as Allen absorbed increasingly heavy punishment. The hometown crowd remained vocal, but there was a growing sense that the fight was moving only in one direction.

The end came in the third. Hrgović trapped Allen repeatedly against the ropes and unleashed sustained combinations with little coming back in return. Allen, as always, showed bravery, but bravery alone was never going to solve the gulf in class. Eventually, the punishment became too much, forcing the intervention that many watching feared was inevitable.

The official result reads as a third-round TKO victory for Hrgović. In reality, it felt like a statement. The performance reinforced that, despite previous setbacks against elite opposition, he remains one of the most dangerous heavyweights outside the title picture. Since the defeat to Daniel Dubois, the Croatian has rebuilt momentum impressively, adding names such as Joe Joyce, David Adeleye, and now Dave Allen to his recent résumé.

The bigger questions surround Allen. At 34 years old, with years of difficult fights and accumulated punishment behind him, retirement discussions will inevitably intensify again. Yet Allen’s popularity within British boxing means opportunities will likely remain available if he chooses to continue. Whether continuing is the right decision is another matter entirely.

Gomez Jr. Shocks McGregor

Away from the main event, the most significant undercard result came as Michael Gomez Jr stopped Lee McGregor in six rounds.

McGregor entered the fight carrying greater name recognition and championship experience, but Gomez Jr. produced the type of aggressive, confident performance that may finally push him into wider domestic conversations. From early on, Gomez applied relentless pressure, refusing to allow McGregor space to establish any rhythm.

As the rounds progressed, McGregor looked increasingly uncomfortable under sustained attacks, with Gomez gradually breaking him down before securing the stoppage in the sixth. For McGregor, it represents another frustrating setback in a career that once appeared destined for world level. For Gomez Jr., it may prove career-changing.

O’Doherty Continues to Rise

Louie O'Doherty quietly delivered one of the night’s most polished performances, comfortably defeating Ahmed Hatim via unanimous decision to retain the British lightweight title and claim the vacant Commonwealth belt.

The scorecards reflected the control O’Doherty maintained throughout: 118-110, 118-110, and 119-109.

Still unbeaten, O’Doherty continues developing into one of the more technically reliable domestic prospects in the division. While bigger tests remain ahead, this was another important step in his progression.

Queensberry Prospects Continue Their Development

Elsewhere on the card, Queensberry continued showcasing its growing stable of prospects. Joe Hayden secured a fifth-round stoppage victory over Ryan Frost in another composed performance, while Bradley Casey produced one of the quicker finishes of the evening with a second-round stoppage over Renars Rusins.

Kian Hamilton and John Tom Varey both picked up points victories as their steady development continued, while Ted Jackson required only a single round to stop Mike Byles. Further down the card, Uzbek prospect Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev also remained unbeaten with a points victory over Alexis Nahuel Torres.

The Doncaster card delivered a mixture of established contenders and emerging talent, but the night ultimately belonged to Filip Hrgović. His emphatic stoppage of Dave Allen served as a reminder that the Croatian remains firmly in the heavyweight conversation as he pushes toward another world-title opportunity.