Olympian Frazer Clarke believes David Allen was milking the moment to influence the referee to call for a disqualification due to several low blows in their contest from last Saturday night in Manchester.
During the fight, Allen was complaining that several of Frazer’s connected body shots were low.
In the sixth round, Clarke was deducted two points for low blows, and then Allen continued to cite some of the body blows as being below the beltline.
Clarke’s unbeaten record appeared to be in jeopardy from a potential disqualification, but Allen made it known to his corner that he was unable to continue once the sixth round had concluded.
“I think Dave Allen was trying to take the Oscar off Usyk!” Clarke told Sky Sports. “He tried to play a good one and he wanted the referee to help him out, but it didn’t work for him.
“We ain’t got the VAR in boxing but when I do watch it back, I’ll do my own VAR decision on it. Maybe one of them went south but we’re in a boxing match, it’s epic, it’s heated and them things happen. It was never intentional but I’ll watch it back and I don’t think the rest of them were.
“He’s a professional fighter but he’s also a professional that knows he was losing the fight. I don’t think he thought he was getting back into the fight and he wanted another payday. He was trying get a disqualification I believe in order to get a rematch and get paid again. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve got a good inkling that it’s the first one I said.”
When the fight ended, there was confusion with respect to Allen’s injury. Some observers felt he had a busted eardrum, but others thought he injured his jaw.
Allen took to social media and criticized his performance against Clarke.
“First of all my performance was poor,” Allen said on Instagram. “Fighting an Olympic medalist after four years pretty much of inactivity was never going to be easy, but I am hugely disappointed with myself.
“My plan was to spoil and make it ugly early but when the time came to up the pace, I just couldn’t find it in myself and I was fit and have no excuses. I just didn’t do very well and it happens but very disappointing.
“The low blows were low but that’s the game. I have no problem with what happened there. I would have hated to win by disqualification as I was second best. The end of the fight was a mixture of frustration and worry with my ear and mouth.
“In all honesty, I had not won a round and I had nothing left to give and another four rounds of punishment last night would have seen my career over. I’m a father and a coach and I see myself as I see my boys, I live to fight another day and more importantly I go home in one piece.
“I am disappointed but I trained hard and fought to the best of my abilities and I just wasn’t good enough. I will just have to live with that and pick things up in a few weeks and decide on my next moves.”