Damon "Dangerous" Reed was an American professional boxer born in Topeka, Kansas, on December 18, 1971. At 6 feet tall, Reed competed in the heavyweight division from 1995 to 2017.

Reed's journey in boxing began when he won the Kansas-Oklahoma Golden Gloves open division at 22 despite having only two previous fights. This victory earned him a trip to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin nationals, marking a turning point in his life.

After a brief amateur career consisting of nine fights, Reed made his professional debut on April 4, 1995, against Terrence Coffin in Council Bluffs, Iowa, winning by TKO. Three years into his professional career, Reed earned a shot at the WBO World Heavyweight title against champion Herbie Hide following a victory over former world champion James Pritchard in 1997.

However, Reed's title challenge against Hide ended in disappointment, as TKO stopped him just 52 seconds into the first round. Despite this setback, Reed faced top-level opposition throughout his career, including former and future world champions such as Hasim Rahman and Deontay Wilder.

Reed's encounter with Wilder left a lasting impression on the Kansas native, who described the former WBC World Heavyweight Champion as one of the hardest punchers he had ever faced, alongside Herbie Hide.

In the latter stages of his career, Reed continued to fight and believed that changes in his training regimen could help prolong his time in the ring. He cited the longevity of fighters like Bernard Hopkins as an inspiration, proving that age is not necessarily a limiting factor in boxing success.

Reed's professional record stood at 48 wins (32 by knockout), 20 losses, and 0 draws when he retired on October 28, 2017, after a career spanning more than two decades.