LONDON, England — Dave Allen will have to endure "four or five rounds of brutal assault" if he is to beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield.

That is the stark assessment by promoter Eddie Hearn after announcing the clash between Doncaster’s much-loved Allen and the fearsome Russian on On Oct. 11.

Allen punched his way back towards the upper echelons of the division via a stunning knockout victory over Johnny Fisher earlier this year, setting himself up for a huge headline event in his home county of Yorkshire live on DAZN.

And, despite Hearn offering him a list of five options, Allen chose the once-feared puncher Makhmudov (20-2, 19 KOs) for the fight because of the challenge.

There was a time when Makhmudov was considered one of most dangerous opponents in the division and had been touted as a potential opponent for the world heavyweight champions at the time, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Defeats to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello have damaged his reputation somewhat, but Hearn still believes Allen will have to walk through fire to earn a victory which could make him a millionaire.

Hearn told The Ring: “Dave needed someone who would get him out of bed in the morning. We talked briefly about Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder, but they didn’t present themselves.

“Then we started looking at sensible opponents that had the credentials for a fight like this, headlining in Sheffield.

“When I said Makhmudov, he said, "He’s that mental case, scary guy who punches really hard?’ I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'What about him?’ I phoned Dave and told him they’d accepted and he said, 'Oh shit, is it too late to pull out?’ I said, 'Yes.’

“He said he will train his nuts off for Makhmudov and I’ve got to be honest with him if he wins, he will get a massive fight with a seven-figure number attached to it.

“But this is an incredibly dangerous fight and you just know you’ve got to weather a four- or five-round brutal assault at the hands of this man. But if he gets through that I think Dave has a great chance.

“Then the next fight, financially, will change his life forever.”