23 years ago

Date: 13th February 1999

Venue: Telewest Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom

Title: WBO World Super-middleweight Title

Promoter: Queensberry Promotions

Tv: Sky Sports Box Office

Joe Calzaghe
( 25 - 0 - 0 )
Weight: 167 lbs

Robin Reid
( 26 - 1 - 1 )
Weight: 167 3/4 lbs

Joe Calzaghe made his third defence of the WBO World Super-middleweight Title he had won in a vacant title match against Chris Eubank fourteen months earlier on a world title double header alongside Richie Woodhall's defence against former champion Vincenzo Nardiello at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle.

Reid, himself a former WBC World Super-middleweight titlist was seen as a stern test of the Welshman's credentials at world level, and so it proved in a fight that Calzaghe never dominated at any stage. The action was back and forth and it came down to what you scored for in terms of quality over quantity.

Reid landed with heavy but sporadic blows that certainly caught the eye, but the champion landed by far-and-away the most on-target shots, and two of the ringside judges believed that he deserved the win. All three judges scored 116-111, but only Paul Thomas found that score in Reid's favour.

Scores: Robert Byrd 116-111 | John Duggan 116-111 | Paul Thomas 111-116.