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DAVE ALLEN could become a British boxing cult hero and break into the mainstream by toppling a Russian ‘Bond villain’ who wrestles bears.

In 2017, the Doncaster lad weighed in for a heavyweight clash on a David Haye undercard with a pair of XXL socks stuffed down his pants and a huge grin across his handsome face.

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The clip went viral, especially among the gay community, getting 16 million views and earning him countless ­proposals in his social media inboxes.

In the ring, he earned total respect from hardcore boxing fans who watched through their fingers as he funded a gambling addiction with brave defeats to prime versions of ­Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz, Olympic gold winner Tony Yoka and David Price.

Online followers also loved Allen’s relationship with nan Betty, which he shared in touching videos and photos.

We worried about his life going off the rails again when she passed away in 2022. But in a beautiful stroke of fate, Allen fathered his first child shortly after and named her Betty.

If you are a British boxing fan of a certain age, you will have watched the White Rhino’s career rollercoaster from exploited punchbag, to shock LGBT icon, to early retirement, to doting dad and budding property tycoon.

The honesty and humour he has always shared has made us cheer and fear — in equal measure — for Allen, who speaks openly about his former fighter father being tough on him.

But following a sensational knockout rematch win over Essex fighter Johnny Fisher in May, he is now at the peak of his pulling power.

Saturday night’s homecoming headline slot in Sheffield — against terrifying 6ft 6in Arslanbek Makhmudov of Dagestan — will provide a life-changing purse.

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And a victory could take him closer to his very  modest dream — for a man with his record and profile — of winning the often-overlooked British title.

He has the perfect dance partner in the grizzly-grappling knockout artist, 36, who even has a trademark tic of twisting his neck like a 007 foe.

And Allen insists he has ditched his infamous ice-cream sandwiches  to be in the best shape of his  career.

So much so that he apologised for the first photos from the underwear modelling contract he unveiled, coming complete with paunch as the snaps were taken before he committed totally to this 34th professional training camp.

Despite being a hard and witty Yorkshireman — who has done hundreds of sparring rounds with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury — Allen has never trash-talked or bad-mouthed an opponent.

He has built a loyal and invested fanbase by being brutally open and uncensored with his back story and struggles, while being humble and self-deprecating about his recent successes.

Even after the original 2024 draw with Fisher, he begged his 26-year-old pal and sparring partner not to take the rerun and to prolong his potential and profile with a different route.

And he seemed genuinely gutted to inflict such a thorough pasting upon him when he ignored the advice.

As a man and a fighter, Allen is a throwback. As a modern boxer, though, he has harnessed social media and YouTube to become a star.

The mismatched and utterly predictable defeats were horrible to watch but — combined with Allen’s unshakably authentic personality — they have made his underdog story one we are all ­desperate to see finish with a ­gloriously happy ending.

Allen vs Makhmudov – all the info

DAVE ALLEN returns to the ring for one of the biggest tests of his career this weekend!

FORMER Love Island star Anna Vakili has pulled out all the stops – and tan lines – and flashed a saucy bit of skin in a slashed dress.

The reality TV contestant dared to bare in a figure-hugging cut-out number at Manchester‘s Parklife Festival.

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The brunette bombshell showed off her intimate tattoo in the revealing black cut-away dress as she enjoyed her day out.

Held at Heaton Park, the Love Island star, 34, looked high-fashion at the two-day event where acts including 50 Cent, Charli XCX and Rudimental performed.

The podcaster wore her long dark highlighted hair slicked back into a chic ponytail with gold hoops earrings.

Wearing natural glossy make-up, the star looked more red carpet primed than down-and-dirty festival ready.

Reality star Anna was joined at the music spectacular by reality stars Matilda Draper and Demi Sims at SHEIN‘s VIP party.

She was joined by her sister Mandi who looked equally glam in a strapless blue mini dress and trainers.

They mingled amongst fellow Love Islanders including Nicole Samuel, Jessy Potts, Kaz Crossley and Matilda Draper.

Also on hand were Towie’s Frankie and Demi Sims looking dressed to impress.

Vakili shot to fame after appearing on Love Island in 2019 – but she failed to find love in the villa.

She has since been in an on-off relationship with boyfriend Cowslick. 

However, they’ve recently split shortly after getting back together. 

Earlier this year, she revealed that she’d dropped out of the last series of All Stars Love Island at the last minute.

She explained that even though she went through the whole process to appear on the ITV2 show – including multiple meetings and STD and drug testing – it wasn’t for her again.

Looking for serious love, she told fans that she decided against it saying ‘the kind of man I want to settle down with wouldn’t really want a woman that’s going on Love Island’.

Anna recently posted a photo in a hospital gown, and revealed she’d completed her first round of egg freezing.

The pharmacist admitted that although appearing on the 2019 series changed her life for the better financially, returning to the show would be “greedy”.

“The guy that I would want to marry now, would look down on that ‘why you on there snogging different guys in a bikini’.

“I’m a 34-year-old woman.”

It comes after Anna spoken candidly about a series of botched procedures she had in the hope of getting her ‘perfect’ body.

She also revealed how much money she has wasted and what she has had done including three BBLs [Brazilian Bum Lift] and a boob job.

Along with her sister Mandi, the pair host the popular podcast Sisters In The City.

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SOMETHING a bit different. It’s not a car review. It’s a world-first look at Apple CarPlay Ultra. 

Most of you with a newish car will hook up your iPhone and use the central touchscreen for music and maps. 

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CarPlay Ultra allows you to use two screens. So you can have Waze or Apple Maps filling the driver’s display in front of you. 

Finally. 

Apple’s first collab is actually with Aston Martin but you can guarantee CarPlay Ultra will be popping up in other motors in the near future. 

There’s some cool updates on the central touchscreen too. 

Swipe right for an Apple Watch-style dashboard with up/down toggles for weather, clock, calendar and more. 

There’s a simple button to deactivate the bloody annoying driving assistance tech. We like that too. 

Plus, car-specific buttons for hill descent control and noisy exhaust mode. 

Radio station favourites are linked to your device. So when you’re driving you’ve got talkSPORT and when your partner’s at the wheel they’ve got Magic FM. Or vice versa. 

It’s all very slick. All very easy. All very Apple. No handbook required. 

The funny thing is, when the DBX arrived in 2020 it didn’t even have a touchscreen. Now it’s top of the class. Dreamy lines. V8 engine. Cutting-edge tech. Aston Martin is on it.