After Jonathon Banks had to pull out of his WBO cruiserweight championship bout against Enzo Maccarinelli in London tomorrow (December 6th) there have been a lot of rumours about Herbie Hide as potential replacement. Recently Maccarinelli and his promoter Frank Warren announced that Herbie firstly agreed to fight the Welshman and then suddenly ‘disappeared’. Now the “Dancing Destroyer” speaks..
“Warren and Maccarinelli have told everybody I would be running away from them – that’s just not true! I’m here and ready to go”, states Herbie. “In fact, Frank Warren knew all the time where I was; I have been in court with him because he still owes me money. Fact is that they offered me the fight only if I dropped the court case in return. I always said that I would take the fight as long as it doesn’t affect any legal issues I have to solve with Warren.”
Hide and Warren met in court on Wednesday. The case has been closed and the verdict is expected for early next year.
“Now that everything is said and done we can get it on”, adds Hide. “I told Warren, the BBBoC and my promoter Ahmet Öner that I would take on Maccarinelli whenever he wants. It’s too bad that they already found some nameless tomato can for tomorrow. But it is only a pleasure deferred!”
Towards his potential opponent Herbie adds: “As far as the ‘Big Mac’ is concerned, I will enjoy eating him alive! I heard Maccarinelli said I was the one guy in boxing he didn’t like. Well, guess what, Enzo, when we meet in the ring I will be the one guy who really tears you apart. If you think David Haye can punch just wait until you feel the power of the ‘Dancing Destroyer’. I will wipe the canvas with your a** wherever and whenever you want.”
YURI FOREMAN COLLIDES WITH JAMES MOORE IN SHOBOX CO-FEATURE ON SATURDAY, DEC. 13
Junior Middleweights Take Center Stage in Fight Right Before
Holt-Torres III on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT
NEW YORK (Dec. 5, 2008) – A pair of talented fighters with a combined record of 42-1 will collide when undefeated, world top 10-ranked Yuri Foreman (26-0, 8 KOs) faces once-beaten James Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in an excellent co-featured attraction on a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on Saturday, Dec. 13, live on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
The 10-round junior middleweight skirmish will precede the eagerly awaited grudge rubber match between World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion Kendall “Rated R’’ Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) and Ricardo “Mochuelo’’ Torres (32-2, 28 KOs).
The event, promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
Foreman, of Brooklyn, N.Y., by way of Gomel, Belarus, is ranked in the top 10 by the four major organizations. He is No. 4 in the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 6 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 8 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).
The current North American Boxing Federation (NABF) 154-pound champion, Foreman is a skilled, disciplined, crafty, well-conditioned boxer with excellent speed, movement and lightning-quick reflexes.
The 5-foot-11, 28-year-old pitched a shutout in his last fight, registering a 10-round decision over Vinroy Barrett on Oct. 18, 2008, in Atlantic City. Foreman won by 100-90 on the three judges’ scorecards
Moore, of Queens, N.Y., via Arklow, County Wickow, Ireland, went 15-0 at the outset of a career that began in August 2005 before losing an eight-round decision to Gabriel Roado on June 6, 2008.
In his last start, Moore unanimously outpointed Lloyd Joseph across eight rounds on Aug. 6, 2008, which also happened to be his first wedding anniversary. “Can you believe that?” Moore said.
An aggressive-minded 5-foot-11, 30-year-old who works the body well, Moore hails from a fighting family – his father is the coach of the national Irish boxing team. The younger Moore was a top amateur, but he got a late start as a pro and will be taking a considerable step up in class in this one.
“No doubt, this is it, the biggest fight of my career,” said Moore, who trains at the world-famous Wild Card Gym in North Hollywood, Calif. “This is the fight where I get to show the fans, as well as the television executives, what I’m capable of. I’ve been eager to have such a high profile fight for a long time. The fact that it is coming in the midst of holiday season makes it even more special to me.’’
Moore and Foreman are not strangers. “I’ve known Yuri for a good while,’’ said Moore, who’ll look to pressure Foreman early and often. “I sparred a lot of rounds with him at Gleason’s Gym in New York.’’
Nick Charles will call the blow-by-blow action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst and Al Bernstein serving as ringside reporter. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com