Herbie Hide
 |
Herbie Hide | |
|---|---|
| Born | Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu 27 August 1971 |
| Nationality |  United Kingdom |
| Other names | The Dancing Destroyer |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Cruiserweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 52 |
| Wins | 48 |
| Wins by KO | 43 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Herbie Hide (born Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu on 27 August 1971 in Owerri, Nigeria) is a British boxer of Nigerian heritage from Norwich currently fighting in the cruiserweight class. Hide is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBO title twice including a reign of nearly two years from 1997-1999.
Early life
Hide was born in Owerri, Nigeria but moved to England as a boy. He was educated at Glebe House School & Nursery prep school and Cawston College.[1]
Pro career
Hide has fought for most of his career at heavyweight, but later in his career decided to take a step down to cruiserweight. He is known as The Dancing Destroyer and has had a successful career rising to domestic success at a very young age for a heavyweight. He is a former two-time World Boxing Organization (WBO) world heavyweight champion and current World Boxing Council (WBC) International cruiserweight champion.[2]
His career began in 1989 with a second round win and he racked up a total of 26 successive wins, all but one inside the distance, before coming up against Riddick Bowe in 1995. Bowe's heavier physique and punching power was evident, flooring Hide several times. Hide though impressed with his courage, repeatedly picking himself off the canvas, before he was knocked out in the sixth round.[3]
At 6'2" and around 200-210lbs Hide was always considered rather small for a heavyweight.[4] [5] Despite this his speed and punching power has twice taken him to the WBO World Title. To date 41 of his 44 wins have come by way of stoppage, including fourteen first round knock outs and nine in the second round. Often regarded as more of a natural cruiserweight than heavyweight he has now stepped down a weight division to a more natural weight division at cruiserweight.[citation needed] Since then Hide has won eight successive fights, four of which were first round knockouts.[citation needed] He defeated Mikhail Nasyrov on 23 December 2007 to win the WBC International Cruiserweight title and has since made two successful defences taking his record to 44 wins with 41 knockouts and four defeats.[citation needed]
In November 2008, when Johnathon Banks dropped out of a WBO cruiserweight title clash at London's ExCel Arena with just four days notice, Hide was announced as a potential opponent for former champion Enzo Maccarinelli, for the vacant title.[6] This was despite Hide having fought just two weeks earlier, a victory against Lukasz Rusiewicz.[6]
Personal life
In 1999, Hide was declared bankrupt by a British court after failing to pay various bills. However, around that same time, Hide informed a reporter that he had left £8,000 next to a lamp in his training camp and that, when he returned, the money was on fire. Court officers were understandably puzzled and demanded to know where the money had come from.[citation needed]
Hide has also been arrested a number of times.[7] In December 2003, after being attacked by six men and hit over the head with a bar stool in a Norwich night club,[citation needed] Hide was approached by police officers in a nearby parking lot. However, he ran off, discarding a knife with a ten-inch blade. This resulted in his subsequent arrest and conviction for "possession of a bladed article." He was fined £750 for this offence.[8]
In September 2004, Hide was again arrested for repeated failures to attend court hearings concerning assorted driving-related offenses.[citation needed] He had been charged with driving a Fiat Punto with no insurance on 15 May 2003 and driving a Bentley with no insurance and no MoT on 18 June of the same year. Hide had denied all the charges. He was scheduled to attend the ensuing court hearing in January 2004, but failed to do so. The hearing was then rescheduled at least three times in the following two months, but Hide failed to surface on those dates as well. In March 2004, he was convicted of all the charges. Hide's solicitor Ian Fisher told the court that he had no idea why his client had not appeared.[citation needed]. In September 2008, Hide was warned by Norwich magistrates that he faces 75 days in jail if the outstanding £3,767 of motoring fines were not paid by 30 November 2008. [9]
Hide is a supporter of Norwich City F.C. and has been officially greeted at Carrow Road.[citation needed]
Recent
As of April 2010 his record stands at 48-4 with 43 knockouts.
See also
References
- ^ Cawston Parish Council, Cawston College history, retrieved 30th November 2008
- ^ WBCBoxing.com, cruiserweight rankings, retrieved 30th November 2008
- ^ Gerald Eskenazi, "BOXING; Bowe Stops Battered Hide in 6th to Win W.B.O. Title", New York Times, 12th Mar 1995, retrieved 30th Nov 2008
- ^ Hennessy Sports article
- ^ Herbie Hide interview
- ^ a b http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7761231.stm
- ^ Brian Farmer, "Boxer Hide is tagged after nightclub assault", The Independent, 1st mar 2001, retrieved 30th Nov 2008
- ^ John Rawling, "Hide fined for having 10-inch kitchen knife", The Guardian, 7th Jan 2004, retrieved 30th Nov 2008
- ^ "Boxer Herbie Hide facing jail", The Mirror, 9th Sep 2008, retrieved 30th Nov 2008
Further reading
- Herbie Hide, Nothing But Trouble: My Story (2009) ISBN 978-1844547067
External links
- Boxing record for Herbie Hide from BoxRec (registration required)