TKO Boxing Club & Gym

On this day...

'Anyone who signs up to be a fighter, effectively you sign up to a life of solitary confinement. You are alone, because people are following, they’re watching what you do. It’s a lonely life, it’s tough. It’s great if you can embrace it. But it’s tough. Today guys are looking at money, they’re looking at bling, and that has a sad ending. A beautiful ending is one where we become mentors, we become servers of the community.'

On this day in 1966, two-division world champion and one of the most exciting and eccentric boxers Britain has ever produced, Chris 'Simply The Best' Eubank was born.

Happy Birthday Champ. Many Happy Returns.

"You can't let some little thing like a loss discourage you, great people don't let loss discourage them, they let it influence them, a loss should influence you to be better

Look at Rocky's leg's
Power in that punch

'Every man's got to figure out how to get beat sometime.'

- Joe Louis

Greatest memories

'Some people think that because we are in the business of hurting each other that we must somehow stay mad, or angry, with each other for the rest of our lives. It's not true.'

- Lennox Lewis

On this day...

'I want these guys to know that I never weighed in right as a heavyweight. I used to have weights on around my waist and around my ankles. I never weighed in my underwear, it was always in a tracksuit. I was never a heavyweight!' - Herbie Hide

Two time WBO Heavyweight World Champion, Herbie 'The Dancing Destroyer' Hide was born on this day.

Hide, whose real name is Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu was born in Amauzari, Nigeria before relocating to Norwich in England along with the rest of his family during his childhood.

Hide's spell in amateur boxing was brief, only having 10 bouts, of which he won 8 as well as finishing as runner up in the 1989 ABA Heavyweight Championships, after losing to fellow future WBO Heavyweight World Champion, Henry Akinwande in the final.

Hide turned professional later that same year, making his debut at the age of 18 in the Cruiserweight division, scoring a 2nd round knockout over Lee Williams.

Hide's spell as a Cruiserweight was brief, despite being a comparatively small 6ft 2ins Hide stepped up to the Heavyweight division where he proved more than capable of mixing it with bigger, heavier opponents with his potent punching power and excellent boxing skills.

All of Hide's first 14 contests were won inside the distance and Hide earned himself his first minor title when he faced Canada's Conroy Nelson for the vacant WBC International Heavyweight Title. Hide obliterated Nelson inside 2 rounds, scoring a knockdown in the opening round before knocking Nelson out cold in the 2nd.

Hide's path of destruction continued, winning all of his next 4 contests ahead of time before facing Argentina's Juan Antonio Diaz for the vacant WBA Penta-Continental Title. Diaz was a 6ft 5in Heavyweight known for his explosively powerful punching but ultimately proved no match for Hide, who had the contest wrapped up inside 3 rounds.

Hide's very next outing saw him add the vacant BBBofC British Heavyweight Title to his collection when he defeated Michael Murray via 5th round stoppage. Hide finished 1993 with a further 4 victories, 3 of which were won ahead of time.

Everett 'Bigfoot' Martin of the United States was the only man able to take Hide the distance up until that point, having survived 10 rounds in a contest that saw Hide win via points decision.

Hide's unbeaten run and brutal knockout power soon earned him notoriety and it was only a matter of time before he found himself challenging for a world title.

Hide's opportunity came on the 19th March 1994 when he challenged Michael Bentt for the WBO Heavyweight Crown at Millwall's Football Ground.

Michael Bentt, an American who was actually born in London, was a highly decorated amateur boxer who had caused a huge upset when he scored a 1st round stoppage over Tommy Morrison to claim the title in just his 12th contest.

Going in to the fight, Hide was on top form with a professional record of 25-0 (24 KO's) and was eager to settle the score after the two men had hit the headlines for brawling at a pre-fight press conference.

Hide dominated from the off, comfortably outboxing Bentt before finishing him off in the 7th round. Unfortunately for Bentt, he'd taken more punishment than viewers initially realised and had to be taken to hospital. He'd suffered a serious brain injury and although Bentt recovered he never fought again.

Hide made his 1st title defence against Riddick Bowe and even though he lost the fight via 6th round knockout, Hide endeared himself to the American crowd with a gutsy performance, hurting Bowe on occasions and picking himself up off the canvass 5 times before he was knocked out. Bowe would later go on to say that Hide was the hardest puncher he faced throughout his career.

1997 would see Hide regain the vacant WBO belt by beating Tony Tucker via 2nd round stoppage. Hide would make 2 successful defenses before finding himself on the receiving end of Dr Ironfist, Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko, who was still relatively unknown to the sporting world was the underdog going into the fight but knocked out Hide in the 2nd round.

Although Hide never challenged for another world title, he had a respectable career after losing to Klitschko and would drop down to Cruiserweight before retiring in 2010 with a final professional tally of 49-4 (43 wins by KO).

Unfortunately for Hide there have been several occasions outside of the ring when the gifted boxer has found himself embroiled and trouble and controversy, resulting in criminal convictions.

In 2012, a young man in his 20's was killed at Hide's home after being stabbed at a house party and an arrest was made but Hide was not home at the time and had no involvement.

The most significant incident occurred when Hide was sentenced to 22 months in prison back in 2013 for conspiracy to supply co***ne.

The conviction was the result of an undercover reporter working for The News of The World Newspaper asked if Hide could supply him with the drug. Hide eventually agreed and was arrested while handing over the co***ne.

Despite his brushes with the law in the past, Hide has kept a low profile for several years now and is remembered by his fans as an incredibly exciting fighter who gave his all in the ring and as someone who was capable of ending a fight with a single punch.

Happy Birthday Champ, Many Happy Returns.

'To get physically and mentally prepared to fight a dozen or more times a year is extraordinary in itself. Ray did that. And when he was in the ring, there was nobody like him. He was a smart fighter and a vicious competitor.

Nobody punched harder to the head or body, and nobody had a better chin. He never lay back. He never eased up. He applied constant pressure, round after round; fighting, fighting, fighting; always trying to knock the other guy out. And he didn't just knock guys out, he knocked guys out cold.

Ray was so superior to everyone else. He could do everything. And the most amazing thing was, he made mistakes- all fighters make mistakes- but he had no technical flaws. The top three fighters of all time are Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Robinson.'

- Emanuel Steward

RIP...

Rest in Peace, Sebastian 💔

'My preparation begins long before I see the ring. In the locker room, I like to isolate myself to better focus on the task at hand. I don't really feel social anyway. I am anxious, my nerves are on edge, I sweat a lot, and I can't control the flutter in my stomach.

You've heard of butterflies? I feel like I have dozens of them down in the pit of my stomach, flapping their wings and darting back and forth. I shake, shivers running through a body that feels stone cold.

Maybe the worst case of the shakes I ever had was before my fight against Fernando Vargas in 2002. It wasn't that I was scared, I was confident of victory. It was just nerves.

The first thing I always do when I step between the ropes is to scan the crowd in search of my father. Our eyes meet and our heads nod. People tell me my lips tighten and my eyes narrow as I zero in on my opponent. They say, for an instant, it looks like I'm going to cry.

..And then that anguish turns to rage.'

- Oscar De La Hoya

'I always felt pressure before a big fight, because what was happening was real. Boxing isn't like a movie where you know how things will turn out in advance. You can get cut, you can get knocked out, anything can go wrong.'
--Iron Mike Tyson--

"Cincinnati Cobra" Ezzard Charles misses a huge shot against Lee Oma en route to defending the heavyweight title by 10th round TKO at Madison Square Garden in 1951