Herbie Hide
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Herbie Hide, born Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu on 27 August 1971, is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2010. He held the WBO heavyweight title twice between 1994 and 1999, and the British heavyweight title in 1993. Known for his formidable punching power and good instinct in the ring, Hide moved from Nigeria to England as a youngster and was educated at Glebe House School and Cawston College near Norwich. His amateur career was brief—10 fights, with 8 wins (7 KOs) and 2 losses—and he finished as runner-up in the 1989 ABA Championships, losing to Henry Akinwande in the final.
Professional career
Hide fought most of his professional career as a heavyweight, later moving down to cruiserweight. He began in 1989 with a second-round win and compiled 25 consecutive victories, 24 by knockout. His opponents included Jeff Lampkin and James Pritchard. In March 1994, Hide challenged Michael Bentt for the WBO heavyweight title at Millwall Football Stadium in London.
Bentt had won the title by knocking out Tommy Morrison. After a pre-fight scuffle, Hide out-boxed and knocked out Bentt in seven rounds; Bentt was hospitalised and never fought again. Hide defended the title a year later against former undisputed champion Riddick Bowe. Hide used his speed to hurt Bowe several times but was floored six times and knocked out in the sixth round.
After two knockout wins in 1996, Hide fought for the vacant WBO title in June 1997 against Tony Tucker, who had lost three of his previous five fights. Hide knocked out the overweight Tucker in two rounds. He defended the title twice in 1998, stopping Damon Reed and Willi Fischer. In June 1999, Hide faced Vitali Klitschko at the London Arena and was knocked out in two rounds.
Personal life
In December 2003, Hide was attacked in a Norwich night club and later convicted for possession of a 10-inch kitchen knife, fined £750. In September 2008, he was warned by Norwich Magistrates that he faced 75 days in jail if £3,767 of motoring fines were unpaid. During a July 2008 television interview, Hide claimed promoter Frank Warren had bribed Johnny Nelson to retire; Warren sued for libel, and a default judgment of £35,000 was entered against Hide.
Hide appeared at Norwich Crown Court charged with rape but was found not guilty in July 2011 after the prosecution offered no evidence. In March 2012, a man in his 20s was fatally stabbed at Hide's home; a suspect was arrested for murder, and police believed Hide was not home. In November 2013, Hide was sentenced to 22 months in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine, after being targeted by an undercover reporter.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Herbie Hide (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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