Prizefighter preview
Without a doubt the most innovative idea in modern boxing has been Barry Hearn’s Prizefighter series. The latest tournament features the cruiserweight division once more and takes place tonight at York Hall. Here is a rundown of all the competitors.
John Anthony
Anthony goes by the nickname “The Animal” perhaps ironically because he has lacked that killer-instinct his whole career. Anthony comes into the tournament with a mere seven victories and 11 defeats and will be looking to go primal tonight in a bid to salvage his career.
The Animal is probably best described as a journeyman fighter who hasn’t journeyed around much, seeing as he didn’t even make his professional debut until the age of 30. He likes to trade off but expect him to crash straight out to Darren Corbett.
Wayne Brooks
A 23-year-old Welshman who holds a not very inspiring record of 5-2-2, Brooks turned pro in 2006. It’s a bit harsh to rule him out at such a young age, but on the other hand it’s fair to say he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire so far. Interestingly he was once the world champion at taekwondo; perhaps he should have stuck that.
Somewhat terrifyingly his opening match is against Herbie Hide. Back him if your pastimes include lighting cigars with 50 pound notes.
Darren Corbett
Veteran fighter who might pull a surprise or two out the bag. Corbett is a former Commonwealth champion and holds one of the more impressive records in the competition, but has seen better days.
He is known as “Raging Bull” although it is hard to see what he has in common with Jake La Motta. Corbett has bubbled under at domestic level for many years and has a decent 16 KOs from his 28 wins and just five defeats. This is without a doubt his last chance at glory and is actually his second appearance in Prizefighter having crashed out in the semi-finals in 2009, defeated by eventual winner Orvil McKenzie.
Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Undefeated and a happy meal away from being a heavyweight, Dickson is the young hotshot of the contest. The 23-year old is in the fledgling stage of his career but has five victories to his name already. Too early to judge but he seems a decent enough prospect.
Hailing from the North-East he has yet to score a KO but word is he can bang. In the opening match he faces Leon Williams in a match-up of the untested youngsters. He would be a good pick for dark horse of the tournament.
Herbie Hide
He’s been working under the radar for a few years but Herbie Hide is still going strong. By far the biggest name and most experienced of all the fighters. By all intents and purposes “The Dancing Destroyer” should walk the whole tournament. Hide’s career has seen him crowned WBO heavyweight champion of the world twice and defeated only four times in his 48 fight record, and two of those defeats were against Roderick Bowe and Vitali Klitschko.
At 6ft 2in and roughly 200-220lbs, Hide has always been more a cruiserweight than a heavyweight really and looks a lot more comfortable in this division. You know what to expect from The Dancing Destroyer, explosive punches and lightning hand-speed. He will be looking to use Prizefighter to get himself a world title shot.
Hide has always been preceded by his wild personal life and is known for being a rapscallion who has found himself in a cell more times than Pete Doherty. However there’s no doubting he is a naturally talented fighter and should blast away everyone he meets in the Prizefighter ring, despite the fact they will all be desperate for his scalp. A different standard to everyone else in this competition.
Zahid Kahut
Kahut is sure to be a cult favourite because amazingly he is a boxer by night and a solicitor by day. Hailing from Pakistan, Kahut holds a record of five fights and four wins. He didn’t make his debut until the ripe old age of 33 when “The Krusher” took to the sport out of curiosity.
He made his pro debut in 2007 and has so far only fought tomato-cans. He’s a beanpole at 6ft 6inches and sights Mike Tyson and Prince Naseem Hamed as his heroes of the ring. He’s an awkward height for a fighter and a southpaw to boot, but he doesn’t really possess a great deal of natural talent. The crowd will love him, but let’s just hope he doesn’t end up in the ring with Hide, or he might not be so handy in front of the jury come Monday.
Mark Krence
Former ABA champion, Krence is known as “The Boxing Butcher”, even though he is a bricklayer by trade. He has in the past fought for the British heavyweight title and come across the likes of Matt Skelton, John McDermott, Audley Harrison and Ruslan Chagaev in his career.
Krence has the most experience after Hide and is the second favourite in a lot of people’s books. He’s a big fella and a decent tip to get through to the latter stages. He doesn’t throw huge shots but he will put on a decent performance for the crowd and would have picked up a trick or two having shared the ring with some genuine talent on several occasions.
Leon Williams
Leon Williams is a 26 year old who made his debut last year. Known as “Solid” he is one of the least experienced fighters in the competition fighting with a record of 4-1 against nobodies. He looks like a tough-cookie but really he’s just there to make up the numbers. Not that he knows it, as he proclaimed before the tournament: “Everyone talks about Herbie Hide but all the talk will be about Leon Williams.”
I’m sure Hide is quaking in his boots. However it is rare for a favourite to win Prizefighter and as the biggest unknown quantity in the competition you never know. He will do well to get past Dickinson in the opener.
So there you have it, that is the line up for the latest edition of the Prizefighter tournament. Without a doubt the name that sticks out a mile is Herbie Hide. The Dancing Destroyer might be getting on in years but he is a class, maybe even two classes, above everyone else. No Prizefighter tournament has been straightforward so far though. The experienced Martin Krence and Darren Corbett will be solid, while Jon-Lewis Dickinson looks a good prospect for the youngsters.
However barring a miracle expect nothing less than a “Hide-ing” for everyone.
Prediction:
Hide to stroll to the final and beat Dickinson on points.
Draw
Quarter-finals
1. Mark Krence v Zahid Kahut.
2. Leon Williams v Jon-Lewis Dickinson.
3. John Anthony v Darren Corbett.
4. Wayne Brooks v Herbie Hide.
Semi-finals
1. Winner of QF 1 v winner of QF 2.
2. Winner of QF 3 v Winner of QF 4.
Final
Winner of SF 1 v winner of SF 2
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