26 years ago
Herbie Hide vs Damon Reed
Date: 18th April 1998
Venue: Nynex Arena, Manchester, EnglandTitle: WBO World Heavyweight Title
Promoter: Sports Network
Tv: Sky Sports & HBO
Herbie Hide
(
29
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1
-
0
)
Weight: 219 lbs
Damon Reed
(
23
-
1
-
0
)
Weight: 206 lbs
On April 18, 1998, at the Nynex Arena in Manchester, England, WBO Heavyweight Champion Herbie Hide (219 lbs) made his first title defence against late replacement Damon Reed (206 lbs). The bout was featured on the undercard of Naseem Hamed's WBO Featherweight title defence against Wilfredo Vazquez.
Hide, who had recently regained the WBO title by defeating Tony Tucker, entered the fight after a turbulent period in his personal life. He had been convicted of assaulting two police officers, sentenced to community service, and had lost his 11-year-old brother Alan to leukaemia. Additionally, numerous potential opponents had reportedly refused to face him, resulting in a 10-month layoff.
Reed, an unranked fighter who recently lost to Denmark's Brian Nielsen, was seen as a significant underdog. With his clothes and boots on, the American weighed in at just 206 lbs, prompting concerns that he was little more than a blown-up cruiserweight.
The fight itself was brief and one-sided. Within seconds of the opening bell, Hide landed a series of heavy blows that sent Reed stumbling to the canvas. Although Reed managed to beat the count, referee Rudy Battle allowed the fight to continue for only a few more moments before deciding to stop it at the 52-second mark of the first round. This set a new record for the fastest knockout in a heavyweight world title fight.
Despite the contest's underwhelming nature, promoter Frank Warren defended the matchmaking, citing the difficulty in finding opponents willing to face Hide. Warren suggested that former champion George Foreman, who was in attendance, could be a potential future opponent for the Norwich native.
Hide dedicated the victory to his late brother and expressed disappointment that Reed had not provided a sterner test. Reed went on to have a lengthy professional career, eventually retiring in 2017 with a record of 48-20. He is primarily remembered for his losses to Hide, Hasim Rahman, James Toney, and Deontay Wilder.