Queensberry Promotions announce full Allen vs. Hrgovic card.
On the 16th of May, Doncaster’s beloved Dave Allen will be taking on the world-rated Filip Hrgovic at the Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.
Billed as “DAVE VS GOLIATH” (bringing to mind the 2009 fight between David Haye and Nikolai Valuev), this bout features a disparity not so much in overall size, but in overall standing and perceived ability.
For Allen, while a fan-favourite with a very loyal fanbase, is not a world-level force. Hrgovic, for all his flaws and certain tendencies in fights, is.
Indeed, Allen will be going up against a man who is ranked in the top five of every organisation but the IBF, and he will be doing so in his hometown.
The main event stood alone for a while following its announcement, but earlier today, the full undercard was officially unveiled.
First is a British and Commonwealth lightweight title clash between Louie O’Doherty (11-0, 3 KOs) and Ahmed Hatim (12-0, 3 KOs).
O’Doherty dominated the previously unbeaten Regan Glackin in October to lift the British strap, which came after an English title victory over Youssef Khoumari a few months prior.
Hatim defeated Liam Dillon in September in a fight that was a final eliminator for both the British and Commonwealth belts, which arrived after wins over Michael Webber-Kane and Aaron Prospere.
O’Doherty and Hatim are also each former Southern Area titleholders.
Second is another lightweight showdown between Michael Gomez Jr. (22-2, 7 KOs) and Lee McGregor (16-2-1, 11 KOs).
Gomez is the former English and Central Area super-featherweight champion, owning wins over Kane Baker and Levi Giles. A challenge for Reece Bellotti’s British and Commonwealth titles in early 2025 resulted in Gomez’s first stoppage loss, which sent him moving up a division.
Making his debut in the lightweight class in March, Gomez stepped in as a late replacement for Aqib Fiaz to fight Jordan Flynn on the Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin undercard. Gomez would ultimately run right over Flynn and leave tire marks in his opponent, stopping him in three rounds.
McGregor is a weight-hopper, having held the British, Commonwealth, and European titles at bantamweight. A 2023 challenge for the IBO super-bantamweight title resulted in his first defeat, after which he went up to lightweight and scored two wins.
Going down to featherweight, McGregor beat Isaac Lowe on the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 undercard, but lost in an all-Scottish clash with Nathaniel Collins in his next fight, being stopped in four rounds.
McGregor would go back up to lightweight, where he scored a win over the 7-9-1 Emiliano Leonel Araujo.
Both Gomez and McGregor get into entertaining scraps, and a fight such as this could emulate Gomez’s father’s famous dust-up against another Scotsman in Alex Arthur.
Curiously, Gomez’s BoxRec page lists a fight that is scheduled on the same day as his fight with McGregor, but that will undoubtedly not be going ahead now.
Next is a super-welterweight affair between Ben Fail (11-0, 6 KOs) and Dean Sutherland (21-2, 7 KOs).
Fail is one half of the Fail twins, with Ben’s brother Carl also being an 11-0 super-welterweight.
Ben Fail recently stopped Mason Cartwright in his biggest test so far, and he will follow that up with another test against Sutherland.
Sutherland is the former Celtic champion who owns a stoppage victory over Fraser Wilkinson (who scored an upset stoppage over William Crolla last year). Outside of that, Sutherland has fought Callum Walsh and Louis Greene, encounters which both ended in defeat.
Lastly, Maxi Hughes (29-9-2, 6 KOs) takes on Lewis Sylvester (18-1, 4 KOs).
On the night of this fight, Hughes will be just over two months removed from a one-sided stoppage loss to Pierce O’Leary, which came one fight after a debatable decision defeat to Bakhodur Usmonov.
It was in May of last year that Hughes scored his last official victory, which arrived in the form of an outboxing of Archie Sharp that also took place in the Eco-Power Stadium.
The notable moments in Hughes’s career are far too copious to list, but he has challenged for and held several regional titles across multiple divisions and won the IBO title at lightweight.
Hughes also holds wins over Gary Cully, Ryan Walsh, and a number of others. Additionally, he has fought William Zepeda and suffered one of the most controversial losses of the past few years against George Kambosos Jr.
A Yorkshireman with fans who support him regardless of his several losses, Hughes is similar to Liam Cameron and headliner Dave Allen.
Sylvester is the former English lightweight champion who made one successful defence before being stopped by Sam Noakes, the British and Commonwealth beltholder at the time.
Sylvester put together two wins over nondescript opposition afterwards, then defeated Reece Mould on the same card as Hughes’s victory over Sharp.
The Mould win was followed by two more wins, the last of which arrived less than a month ago. Against Hughes, Sylvester will feature in an all-Yorkshire throwdown that will feature a fascinating clash of styles.
Big night loading in Doncaster… ⏳
A stacked undercard packed with 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙊𝙐𝙎 talent is coming next month 🔥
You DON’T want to miss this one – get your tickets now via the link in bio 🎟️#AllenHrgovic | May 16 | EcoPowerStadium, Doncaster | @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/zOeQT1sIpA
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) April 14, 2026
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