Also featuring low down on the undercard, in Manchester, last night was the Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz.
Ortiz, who is rated by all the governing bodies, was having his second fight under the Matchroom banner. His first fight, in Monte Carlo, was something akin to a stinker with his opponent Malik Scott intent on nothing more than survival.
Last night Ortiz was matched against the young British heavyweight Dave Allen.
This time Ortiz was able to engage in a far more entertaining fight against an opponent who wasn?t going to be on the back-foot for the entirety of the fight.
At times Ortiz showed why so many of the leading heavyweights are intent on avoiding him. His silky skills allowed him to land several eye-catching combinations that made Allen look the inexperienced fighter he is.
But fair play to the Yorkshireman, not once did he look as if he wanted to get out of there and he continued to try and offload punches of his own.
However, as the rounds wore on Allen was tiring badly and in the seventh round Ortiz was unleashing heavy punches, almost at will. Drained of energy Allen clung to Ortiz and both fell to the canvas.
Ortiz wasn?t going to let his man off the hook though and another flurry of punishing shots saw the referee step in and stop the fight with one second of the round left.
Allen complained about the stoppage but the decision was the correct one.
After the fight Ortiz, who remains unbeaten, spoke to the media, courtesy of a translator, remarking,
‘I am very grateful to be fighting in the UK.
‘It’s been a wonderful experience.
‘Dave is a warrior, a great fighter.
‘Anyone that fights him is in for a battle.’
Whilst Eddie Hearn, speaking about the game performance put up by Allen, praised the Yorkshireman, commenting,
‘Massive well done to Dave.
‘He always wants to fight.
‘He showed a big heart tonight.’
It remains to see who Ortiz will be in the ring with next and how quickly Eddie Hearn can steer him towards a world title fight.
Ortiz Stops Allen in 7 Rounds
