By James Slater: Herbie Hide, the colourful former WBO heavyweight champion from Britain, says he is going to make boxing history next year. Now aged 37, and winner in his last eleven fights, Hide is a cruiserweight these days and he could be just one win away from a shot at the WBC title currently held by Italian Giacobbe Fragomeni..
Herbie is scheduled to meet the once-beaten Matt Godfrey in a WBC tile eliminator next January, with the winner to face either Fragomeni or Krysztof Wlodarczyk. As such, Hide feels he will do something no other fighter ever has – win a title up at heavyweight, then come down to cruiserweight to do likewise there.
Talking to Norwich paper Evening News, Hide spoke about his goal of making history and how he is still able to KO much younger fighters, even at his current age.
“I will be making history as the first man on the whole planet to be heavyweight champion of the world and go down a weight to win the world cruiserweight championship,” Hide stated. “No man has ever done that.”
Hide, who relocated to Germany a few years back, has quietly been notching up the wins. Claiming he should have been a cruiserweight all along, the 37-year-old now finds himself in line for a really big fight at 200-pounds. Staying active has been the reason for Hide’s success, as he also said.
“I’m 37 years old now, I am old boy, so to keep active is good,” Hide said. “The future right now is to become the cruiserweight champion of the world. Right now at cruiserweight I see no-one on the planet to beat me. When I was 26 or 27 I could never imagine anyone 37 years old beating me. There are kids today at 25, 26 and I’m knocking them out.
“Something has gone wrong – it must be the older you get the stronger you must be. I can’t understand what is happening in boxing. If I’m still around today they’re not touching me. I’m still faster than they are, I’m still punching harder than they are, I’m still fitter than they are.”
Hide, 46-4(42) is right when he says he has speed. Even in his mid-to-late thirties, Hide has quick reflexes and his hands can still be a blur. He also has good punching power. Enough to see off Godfrey on his way to a shot at Fragomeni? Time will tell. But whether he succeeds or fails in his quest next year, Hide has earned one last shot at something special.
After showing real perseverance by sticking around as long as he has, after being written off so many times, Hide has more than paid his dues. Who knows, he could be on the verge of adding some real excitement to the 200-pound division.