Happy birthday Mike Allen – champion boxer and Commonwealth Games quarter-finalist

One of Rhyl’s finest-ever sportsmen celebrates a birthday today.

Mike Allen is a former amateur and professional boxer who represented his town and country with great distinction.

Born on September 12, 1980, Mike was a talented footballer but also an outstanding schoolboy boxer, winning a host of junior and later senior national titles, which led to him qualifying for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Mike made it to the middleweight quarter-finals, where he was beaten 34-21 on points by Canadian Mike Walchuk.

In the preliminaries, Allen had boxed superbly against Pugeva Warren from the Solomon Islands, winning via a second round stoppage, but Walchuk always promised to be a tougher opponent.

The Canadian proved a slick boxer, keeping Allen mostly at range in all four rounds and fighting at his preferred pace.

On the scorecards, Walchuk won every round, 5-3, 9-4, 9-6 and 11-8, but Allen, who boxed for Palace ABC in Rhyl, was competitive in each session.

Mike’s father Billy was also a beaten quarter-finalist when he competed in the 1974 Games.

And Mike’s younger brother Robert was also a very useful amateur.

Billy said after his son’s Commonwealth Games performance 21 years ago: “I was so proud of him. Mike’s only had one international, but when you consider the experience of the bloke against him, he did marvellously.”

Between 2003-06, Mike boxed as a professional, but various setbacks meant he only had four fights, winning two by stoppage and losing twice.

Married to Stacey since 2011, the couple have seven children, many of them showing tremendous sporting promise, but that’s a story for another day.

Today is about a birthday for a very special sportsman who will always be remembered in Rhyl for his boxing skills and also being part of a great sporting family.

And who knows what amazing stories are still to come!

Happy birthday Mike.