Big Interview: Preston's former English amateur heavyweight champion Roddy Allen recalls the night he took on the might of Vitali Klitschko

Roddy Allen knew he was facing a tall order – in more ways than one – on his international boxing debut for England.

The former Preston heavyweight ace had been called up by his country for an amateur match against Ukraine, in Liverpool, in the mid 1990s.

Having taken up the sport quite late in life – he was 28-years-old when he stepped in the ring competitively for the very first time – Allen had certainly made up for lost time with a string of impressive domestic performances which had caught the attention of the national selectors.

But Allen – who was attached to Preston and Fulwood Amateur Boxing Club – was all too aware that he was about to step up a level when he strode to the centre of the ring – proudly wearing the coveted England vest – to come face to face with his opponent.

Listening to the referee’s last-minute instructions, Allen got a true sense of the task before him when he peered up at the imposing figure of none other than Vitali Klitschko.

A future legend of the sport, the Ukrainian’s status in boxing’s hall of fame is secure forever more.

He retired as the reigning WBC heavyweight champion in 2012 having lost just two of 47 contests as a professional – his most high-profile defeat coming against Britain’s Lennox Lewis when he was forced to retire in the seventh round with a deep cut above his eye, despite leading on all three judges’ scorecards.

But more than a quarter of a century ago, Klitschko – whose younger brother Wladimir also became a world heavyweight champion – was just a young amateur looking to make his way in the sport when he up against Preston’s finest.

Standing at 6ft 7in and weighing more than 17 stone, Klitschko’s frame dwarfed that of Allen, who was five inches shorter. The Ukrainian fighter had already set tongues wagging among the boxing fraternity who were sure he was destined for greatness.

But he still had to earn his spurs in his early career and that meant proving his worth against fighters of the pedigree of Allen.

As it turned out, the Preston boxer more than held his own against Klitschko, losing on points after a hard-fought contest.

“I lost to Klitschko on points after three three-minute rounds,” said Allen, who was a keen amateur footballer and initially began training at Preston and Fulwood ABC just to keep fit.

“I think Ukraine had only recently split as a country from Russia and Vitali was fighting for Ukraine.

“He was a lot younger than me but I think he’d had more international fights than I’d had amateur fights all together.

“Vitali was probably about 12 years younger than me and I would say he was okay when I fought him.

“He was 6ft 7in and I could barely touch him. I just couldn’t get to him to lay a glove on him.

“Plus he had that experience – he was a lot more experienced than me despite him being a lot younger.

“That fight was my first for England.”

With his formidable size and presence, Allen admits that there was a certain aura about Klitschko although who was to say he would go on to become an all-time great.

“Well he was good,” said Allen. “But they were all good, the Russian and Ukrainian fighters.

“There was nothing fancy about them. They did the basics well and they are just very good at what they do.

“The fight was judged on the points-per-punch system and I don’t think I got a point. But I have watched the fight back on video and I have thought to myself, ‘How could I have not scored a point there?’

“It’s one of those things in boxing, but like I say, he had more experience and I was quite nervous boxing for England for the very first time.”

After reaching what was for him the pinnacle of representing his country, Allen decided to hang up his gloves after facing Klitschko.

The English ABA champion in 1995, the Preston puncher decided he had nothing left to prove and retired at the age of 34, shunning any thought of turning professional.

Respected trainer Brian Hughes – known as the Godfather of the Manchester boxing scene having produced a number of champions over the years – tried to entice Allen into the paid ranks but after thinking long and hard, he decided it was not for him.

“I won the National ABAs and then represented England –I just thought after that there was nothing left for me to go for,” he said.

“I started at 28 and finished at 34. A few people asked me if I wanted to turn pro. Brian Hughes showed interest but I wasn’t really bothered especially at the age I was and plus I had a full-time job.

“If I had not have had a full-time job, then I would probably have turned pro.”

Having won all the regional competitions, Allen’s first major tilt at winning the coveted national title arrived in 1993.

He progressed all the way through to the final where he was paired with Birmingham’s Mike McKenzie in his own backyard at the National Exhibition Centre.

After a tight contest, Allen was adjudged to have lost on points courtesy of a majority verdict.

Interestingly, in the quarter-finals of that year, Allen defeated Audley Harrison, who would later go on to become the Olympic champion at the 2000 Sydney Games, although his subsequent professional career never lived up to the hype.

“I boxed Audley Harrison and beat him,” Allen said.

“It was one of the easiest fights I had. He was like he was throughout his professional career, he just did not have the heart.

“He’s written a book and I think he said about me, ‘Roddy Allen from up North, he was nothing special’.

“But he didn’t really have anything to say in his book. He was always injured or there was something else – he had an excuse for everything.

“He was young when I fought him and he went on to win the Olympics, so fair play to him, he must have been good enough.

“He had all the attributes but he just didn’t have the heart for it and you can’t train the heart. He always seemed to freeze on the big stage.”

A couple of years after losing to McKenzie, Allen finally had his hands on the English title when his opponent Danny Watts was disqualified in the final, also held at the NEC.

A month earlier, Allen had beaten Michael Sprott, who went on to both beat and lose to Harrison as a professional, as well as face current world champion Anthony Joshua.

“I was proud to be come English champion,” said Allen, who has worked for the past 30 years on the maintenance team looking after the Lancaster Canal.

“I was a boxer who liked to go for the body and work my way in using my jab. I enjoyed my amateur career.”

Having enjoyed a fine amateur career, Allen has spent the past 25 years giving something back to the sport.

He is one of the trainers at Preston and Fulwood ABC, where he first learned the ropes of the sport.

Based at the Catherine Beckett Community Centre, in Deepdale Road, the club has been established for half-a-century and caters for all levels from children, beginners to the advanced.

Allen said: “I took my coaching badges a year before I finished boxing and I have been coaching ever since. The sport was good to me and it’s my way of putting something back and helping other boxers.”