Popular British heavyweight Dave Allen will make his long-awaited return to the ring on October 31 when he takes on German Christian Hammer.

The 28-year-old Yorkshireman has not fought since he was stopped by compatriot David Price in the tenth round of their clash in July 2019.

But Allen, who has recently spent time in training camp with former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, believes now is the right time to test himself against Hammer, who beat Price back in 2017.

"I’m really happy to fight Christian Hammer," he told Matchroom Boxing. "He’s highly ranked and is a tough, strong man. A win here puts me back to fringe World level. He’s got a win over David Price so that would half put my defeat to bed.

"Sparring Usyk has taken me to another level. He’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. I’ve picked up so much from him and it’s given me the confidence that I will need to get through ten rounds with Hammer."

Allen-Hammer will feature as one of the undercard fights on the show headlined by Usyk as the Ukrainian faces his first major test as a heavyweight against Briton Dereck Chisora.

And promoter Eddie Hearn has warned Allen this is make or break time for the ‘Doncaster De La Hoya’, who already has five defeats on his record after 25 fights.

"This is a great fight for Dave, and absolute sink or swim time," Hearn said. 

"Hammer has shown the highest of levels consistently and both fighters are looking at this opportunity as springboard to major fights. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen or who is going to win, there’s only one way to find out!"

The show will be available to watch on Sky Sports Box Office and is likely to take place behind closed doors.