‘Herbie Hide’

It could be called a matchup over 10 years too late.

Two heavyweight veterans meet tonight for the WBC heavyweight title when the German based Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko makes his fifth defence, facing Shannon Briggs in Hamburg.

For Klitschko, this is his third reign as a world heavyweight champion. Back in 1999, Klitschko bludgeoned the Brit Herbie Hide in two rounds to win the WBO version of the title.

After losing the title on a shoulder injury to Chris Byrd in 2000, Klitschko would go on to valiantly give Lennox Lewis all the trouble he could handle in June 2003 in a bout for the WBC title. In that brawl, Lewis was shaken on more than one occasion before Klitschko would lose due to horrendous cuts in the sixth round.

Vitali would clamour for a rematch but this would never happen. Lewis retired and Klitschko would go on to claim the vacated crown one year later. After one defence against the brave Danny Williams in 2004, Klitschko would himself retire from the ring due to injury.

Four years later in a fight against Samuel Peter for his old WBC version, it was like Dr. Ironfist had never been away as he took back his honours in eight one sided rounds.

In Shannon Briggs, Klitschko meets arguably his biggest name opponent in what could be called his second career. One year younger at 38, although born in the same year as Klitschko, Briggs has boxed 58 times, losing just five times. More...

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The latest installment of Matchroom's three round wars, the Prizefighter tournament, hit London's York Hall last night with the usual series of shocking upsets as the cruiserweight class enjoyed their second go round.

By far the favorite going in, ex-WBO heavyweight champ Herbie Hide, 49-4 (43), won his opening bout as he knocked down but couldn't put away big hearted Welsh novice Wayne Brooks, 5-3-2 (2).

Hide won by a wide unanimous decision but a cut sustained from a head clash in the second round put the big punching "Dancing Destroyer" out of the tournament, replaced by Nick Okoth. More...

© Lawrence Lustig

Tonight, at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, England, former two-time WBO heavyweight champion and current WBC international cruiserweight champion Herbie Hide enters as the bookie's favourite into Prizefighter: The Cruiserweights II.

Hide is 48-4 with 43 of those wins coming inside the distance and 26 of those stoppages not going past the second round. He is currently plying his trade at cruiserweight in Germany, the last time he fought on British soil was back in late 2008.

His first bout of the night will be against Wayne Brooks who is 5-2-2 with 2 KO’s. On paper, this should be a walk in the park for Hide, in fact if it was not for Prizefighter this fight would never have been made in the first place. Brooks’s biggest achievement of his career has been that he fought for the Welsh area light heavy title, and lost in a close fight.

That is the beauty of Prizefighter; what at first may seem like a mismatch often ends up being an upset. Who would have expected Danny Williams to have been blown away by Carl Baker in the Heavyweight Prizefighter last year? More...

© Lawrence Lustig

Welshman Wayne Brooks is confident he can stun the boxing world and defeat former WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide on Friday.

The pair are two of the eight contenders in Barry Hearn’s latest one-night Prizefighter tournament - Cruiserweights II – at the York Hall in London’s East End. More...

Herbie Hide believes winning Friday’s Prizefighter will be the perfect preparation for a shot at the WBC cruiserweight world title.

Hide, 38, is one of eight men competing in Barry Hearn’s latest Prizefighter event – Cruiserweights II – at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, east London.

A former WBO heavyweight champion, Hide is clear favourite to win but has the most to lose, although he insists it was an easy decision to enter.

“Why am I in Prizefighter? “Well, it’s because I’m a warrior – a gladiator,” said Hide, who has won 48 of 52 fights, 43 inside the distance.

“I’m number two in the rankings for the WBC title and my promoters in Germany have put me back. But now Giacobbe Fragomeni is fighting Krzysztof Wlodarczyk for the vacant WBC title and the winner should fight me, but that could be in another three or four months. More...

Mark Krence believes winning Friday’s Prizefighter Cruiserweights II will catapult him to a third shot at a British title.

Chesterfield-based Krence, 33, has fought twice for the British Heavyweight Championship and is desperate to compete for the Lonsdale belt at cruiserweight level. More...

© Lawrence Lustig

Herbie Hide will begin his quest for Prizefighter glory with a fight with Welshman Wayne Brooks.

Hide, 38, is the favourite to win Prizefighter Cruiserweights II, which will be held on Friday at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, East London. More...

Leon Williams insists the glory of winning Prizefighter is more important to him than picking up the £32,000 winner’s cheque.

Williams is one of eight men in Barry Hearn’s latest one-night Prizefighter event – Cruiserweights II – at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, east London next Friday, April 30. More...

John Anthony has vowed to upset the form book and beat the odds to win Prizefighter Cruiserweights II.

Doncaster-based Anthony, 35, is one of eight men in Barry Hearn’s latest Prizefighter tournament, to be staged at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, east London on Friday, April 30.

Anthony, who has won seven out of 18 fights, has been written off by bookmakers, who have priced him as a 16/1 outsider to claim the £32,000 top prize. More...

By Per Ake Persson

WBO super middle champ Robert Stieglitz defends the title January 9 in Magdeburg on a SES promotion. In the chief support Ina Menzer will defend the WBC, WIBF and WBO featherweight titles against Ramona Kuehne, who holds the WIBF crown at junior light. For Stieglitz it will be the first defence of the title he won in August with a come from behind win over Karoly Balzsay. More...

© Arena Boxing

While preparing for his upcoming fight next Friday, June 26th, in Völklingen, Germany at a training camp in Istanbul, Turkey, Herbie Hide again called out Marco Huck to face him within the next couple of months. More...

© W. Klauke

Arena’s stars Herbie Hide, Steffen Kretschmann and Mahir Oral have been received very kindly Monday afternoon in Völklingen, Germany for the first press conference for the big Arena show on June 26 at Hermann-Neuberger Halle. More...

After his very successful US show on April 17 with Yuriorkis Gamboa winning the first world title for Arena Box Promotion, promoter Ahmet Öner is preparing his next event in Germany for June 26 at the Hermann Neuberger Halle in Völklingen, near Saarbrücken, close to the French border.

The show will be headlined by former world heavyweight champion Herbie Hide, promising German heavyweight prospect Steffen Kretschmann and rising middleweight star Mahir Oral. More...

Click for larger image © M.A. Sayer

Graciano Rocchigiani’s first show as trainer for Arena Box Promotion was a complete success. “Mini-Tyson” Selcuk Aydin and “Dancing Destroyer” Herbie Hide scored wins in front of a sold-out crowd in Cuxhaven, Germany, Friday night. More...

© ARENA Box-Promotion

Arena Boxing held a weigh-in yesterday for tonight's big card at the Baltic Sea resort town of Cuxhaven, Germany.

WBC International Welterweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Selcuk Aydin: 146.5 lb
Luis Fernando Hernandez: 147 lb More...