Paddy Power pay out on Dave Allen as the winner of his bout against Johnny Fisher as ‘justice’ for his controversial split-decision defeat on undercard of Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk

Paddy Power will pay out for punters who predicted Dave Allen would win his fight against Johnny Fisher in Saudi Arabia last night – despite him losing on points.

Allen, who suffered the controversial defeat on the undercard of Tyson Fury‘s heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk, sent his opponent crashing to the canvas in the fifth round, leaving viewers confident he had done enough to win.

Fisher, reeling from the first knockdown of his career, clung on during the final rounds and even landed an uppercut on himself as he struggled to control his punches. 

But in a major upset, the scorecards were read out in favour of Fisher, with two judges scoring the bout 95-94 for the Romford Bull.

The final judge gave it to Allen 96-93.

That saw Fisher awarded the vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title before he was taken to hospital for a brain scan, accompanied by his dad John. 

Dave Allen suffered a controversial split-decision defeat by Johnny Fisher in Saudi Arabia

Allen sent Fisher crashing to the canvas for the first time in his career but lost on points

Boos rang out around Kingdom Arena when the scorecards were read out in favour of Fisher

A cacophony of boos rang out in the Kingdom Arena when the judges’ verdicts were revealed and bookmaker Paddy Power has taken drastic action. 

Posting on X, they said: ‘JUSTICE PAYOUT ON DAVE ALLEN.

‘We are paying out on Dave Allen as a winner of his fight last after a shocking decision on the judges’ scorecards. Being processed now. 

‘Applies to singles and multis bets. Paid as cash. Retail bets included. T&Cs apply.’

Allen was visibly shocked by the divisive scoring while his corner – and numerous onlookers – believed he had edged the gruelling scrap.

‘Everyone ringside said that I’d won. I thought I won my first title as a pro,’ Allen told Sky Sports. ‘I’d thought tonight was gonna be a horror show but by the final bell, I thought I might have done enough. But it doesn’t matter what I think.

‘I’ve digested quickly. I’m nearly 33, he’s a young kid. I’m really happy for him.

‘I just take and go on to the next one. We’re going to fight another day.’

But bookmaker Paddy Power have announced they will pay out on Allen as the winner

Allen was the heavy underdog on the undercard of Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh

Asked whether there may be an immediate rematch on the cards, Allen replied: ‘I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s the right fight for him.

‘That’s probably not for me to worry about, but I do. He’s a lovely kid. I think we should have a fight in between, and then maybe do it again.’

Dillian Whyte branded the result ‘bulls***’ while renowned trainer Dave Coldwell tweeted: ‘That’s absolute b******! They’ve just robbed Dave Allen of his night.

‘Bulls***. You go and spoil a tremendous fight like that by robbing a man of his rewards. Bulls***.’