DAVE ALLEN has been caught up in a betting fix storm surrounding his third-round knockout victory over Dorian Darch.
The British Boxing Board of Control and the Gambling Commission have begun an investigation over allegations of suspicious betting activity.
The heavyweight clash at the Sheffield Arena on Saturday was a bizarre bout, with heavy favourite Allen coasting through the opening two rounds before blitzing the journeyman in the third.
Darch managed to beat one count but he returned to the canvas moments later.
A third-round win for the Doncaster man opened with bookmakers at 9-2 but was so heavily backed it ended at evens.
SunSport understands SkyBet were the first bookmaker to notice a concerning spike in bets on the six-round Sky Sports fight and they alerted their competitors.
And, at around 5.30pm a couple of hours before the fight, the industry noticed an extraordinary surge of lays on the exchanges on the specific round at a series of high-street stores all over the country.
Should have chucked a couple of quid on myself if I knew lol.”
BBBofC secretary Robert Smith confirmed to SunSport on Monday afternoon that the commission had contacted him with their concerns and an investigation is underway.
And fans were sharing and commenting on a clip of the fight where Darch appears to urge Allen on just before a soft-looking left hook starts his demise.
On Twitter, civil engineer Darch replied to the accusations saying: “Should have chucked a couple of quid on myself if I knew lol.
“People are nuts get hit down once get back up, get wobbled to my boots with a left hook but still dull enough to try and act hard and pretend not to be hurt and call him on and I’ve taken a dive brilliant x.
“Just hard to get your head around butt i know being a journeyman is a job I got f**k all to gain be losing in a certain round I cant bet myself.
“I’m a trying journeymen who got beat in round 3. If I would av covered up like a koala and lost on points would that have been a fix?x”
Allen also hit back at claims saying: “People were saying it was a fix because I was planning on it being a six-round move around.
“A few of my mates had a lot of money on the points win and it didn’t come in but I am not the sort of guy who picks a round to win, I am not really good enough to do that.
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“I am a heavy-handed hard b****** and I caught him with a left hook, I stepped off and he said ‘come on’ so I attacked him to the body and put him over. I haven’t lost or made any money on it.”
The Gambling Commission said: “We don’t comment on ongoing investigations or confirm they exist because doing so could harm any investigation or could unjustifiably damage reputations.
“We may comment on a case after its conclusion but many cases are led by other bodies including sports governing bodies or law enforcement agencies.”
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