Boyd Allen will make his professional boxing debut at Emperors Palace on September 1.
The entertaining former MMA fighter will have top trainer Colin Nathan in his corner, having opted to pair up with his long-standing friend.
Nathan, who is in Malaysia preparing Moruti Mthalane for a title shot, expects Allen to debut at junior-middleweight or middleweight. He’s looking forward to the partnership: “Boyd is cool, calm and collected. He is a thinking fighter and has the ability to adapt when sparring with various sparring partners,” said Nathan yesterday.
“Having had a decent boxing base (amateur fights) and the experience of fighting on big stages, it’s exciting that he has decided to turn his energy towards boxing.”
If things go well, he might yet rematch Wade Groth, albeit in the boxing ring rather than the octagon. The pair fought at EFC 36, Allen winning via first-round submission.
Groth has since gone on to carve out a solid pro boxing career and is on the verge of a SA middleweight title bout, proving that MMA stars can successfully transition to boxing.
Said promoter Rodney Berman: “The September 1 show is shaping up to be explosive. Boyd brings a different dynamic. I’m very curious to see what kind of fighter turns up.”
