Dave Allen is the ex-supply teacher turned boxer who overcame gambling addiction to become heroic fans’ favourite
DAVE ALLEN has lived several lives, from supply school teacher to gambling addict and now, thankfully, a beloved boxing star.
Allen started as an amateur aged 16 and had just ten bouts before turning professional in 2012 – snubbing the chance to join the GB Squad.
He was 20 when he made his debut but only three years later Allen had only fought seven times and was in need of cash.
The heavyweight made ends meet as a sparring partner – earning around £500 a week – but it was not enough.
So he got a job as a supply teacher – lying on his CV to get the gig – before returning to the ring in 2015.
But by then, Allen was gripped by a horrific gambling addiction which started after making a £1 bet on the horses with his dad when he was just eight.
And after being introduced to online betting, the boxer’s life began to spiral.
He bravely said on ex-middleweight champion Darren Barker’s podcast: “It just snowballed really.
“I used to go to the bookies and play on the machines there, they were great times.
“But the online stuff is where it got bad for me because it was so easy, it was numbers on the screen.
“Probably at the worst? It’s difficult to say really. I wasn’t gambling that much in my early 20s, but I was gambling everything that I had.
“As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.”
Allen – who has sparred Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – said winning the bets was the route of his addiction not the cash.
He explained: “I have no interest in the money at all.
“The kind of gambler I am, it’s not about the money for me. When the money runs out, that’s the only issue.
“I never wanted to withdraw any money, I just wanted to keep winning. To be honest, at that time it was like an escapism from real life.”
Allen revealed his routine consisted of going to bed at 6am and waking up by 2pm to catch the first race of the day.
Fortunately, Allen has overcome his addiction with the help of his sister and wife, who he shares a son and daughter with.
As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.
Dave Allen
He said: “Since I was 26, I’ve not been in control of my own money.
“So at 26, I said to my sister, ‘You’re going to have to look after my money, to be honest.’
“My sister set me up a bank account and for the last seven and a half years if I want any money at all, I have to text my sister and now my missus, I get a card and they send me money.
“Because, if I could still gamble now, I think I would. I’ve spent mad money on mad s***, I was spending ridiculous money and when I boxed Luis Ortiz, I did it for the money, really.
“I think I owed a few quid at the time of the Dillian Whyte fight, I think I lost about eight grand on the day of the fight, I didn’t clear too much more than that really.”
Allen has also become a trainer and manager to young fighters to also keep himself on track.
He said: “I need it as much as them, start training the kids seven or eight years ago and that’s my sustainability really.
‘He’ll get knocked out’
“It’s really kept me on the straight and narrow.”
Allen initially retired from boxing in 2020 aged 28 after a brutal knockout loss to 2008 Olympic bronze medallist David Price.
But he returned a year later and has fought eight times since, remaining a hugely popular figure amongst British fans.
Allen, 33, is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Johnny Fisher, 26, in Saudi Arabia last December.
But the pair now rematch on Saturday at Fisher’s adopted home of the Copper Box Arena.
And Allen – who dropped Fisher in round five – warned: “If he fights me May 17th he’ll get knocked out because I’ll be sharper, a little bit fitter.
“If he boxes me it will be hard work, of course it is. But I don’t think at the Copper Box he’ll hold it together and box.
“He’ll get in a fight at some point. I’m not the biggest puncher but I hit too hard for him and I’m too strong for him. He’s tough, though.”