Herbie Hide is the Prizefighter favourite but Glenn McCrory says it's a gamble him just being there.
Herbie has it all to lose and a lot to gain in Prizefighter
Well, well, well... Herbie Hide is still going strong after all these years!
There's no doubting he will be the star attraction when we're packed into the York Hall on Friday night for the return of Prizefighter.
It is always a special night but with our old mate Herbie in there, this has got that certain something extra. It is impossible to pick a winner but although he is rightly the overwhelming favourite, you just never know if Dr Jekyll or Mr Hide is going to show up!
My abiding memory of Herbie is just after I'd fought Lennox Lewis back in 1991. There I was sat in my dressing room and there was a knock on the door and it was Herbie calling me out, telling me he wanted to fight me. And I had just lost! "Herbie," I said, "you're supposed to challenge the winner!"
That's Herbie though; he's always done things his way, usually the wrong way, and he's always said the wrong thing. Because of that, he's always been a but misunderstood, always been on a different plane - and planet - to the rest of us.
But there is no doubting his talent. It's easy to overlook the fact that he has lost just four of 52 fights - and two of those were to Riddick Bowe and Vitali Klitschko if you please - and been world heavyweight champion for three years. That cannot be knocked.
He is still very much in the mix for the WBC cruiserweight title as well and says this is a warm-up for a crack at that. Well if that's the case, he is taking a big, big risk by coming in to Prizefighter. Herbie has always been one to take a gamble, but he has it all to lose, he really does.
The other seven fighters will be desperate to take his scalp, make a name for themselves and as we have seen with this tournament in the past, it can be the making of a young, hungry fighter.
Favourite
We've seen big names come in as favourites before and not lived up to it. I can only think of Gavin Rees as one who actually went on to do what the formbook said he should do and win a Prizefighter.
That said, looking down the rest of the cruiserweight field, you have to say Hide is a class above them and it's no surprise to see him 8/11 favourite with Sky Bet: you won't get a bigger favourite.
But we all know that over three rounds, with three fights a night, that anything can happen. Mark Krence is probably the next biggest name in the line-up and has the experience, while I will be interested to see how Jon-Lewis Dickinson gets on. He is from up here in the North East and has trained at my gym and is fit, hard and dedicated.
The other stand-out is probably Darren Corbett, because has been in Prizefighter before and knows what it's all about - and that has got to be an advantage. On paper, Hide should walk this and the three-round format should suit him because he has the power to get guys out of there quickly. But you have to be able to do it not once, not twice but three times; that is the hardest part.
But the rewards are obvious - and I'm not just talking about the money. Boxers now know this is a springboard for them, a chance to kickstart their careers and get their names known. Look at what it's done for Martin Rogan and Sam Sexton and of course, what a difference it has made to dear old Audley!
Herbie will see this is the chance to get himself back in the headlines. The British public have never really taken to him because of his antics and largely because he took himself off and set up base in Germany. If he can win this he will be big news again and people will then, much as we have been doing in the build-up to this, realise that he is very much alive and kicking.
Entertainment
That is what Prizefighter can do and that is why it is still so popular. You only have to look at the crowds it pulls in; all eight fighters bring their own fan clubs from all over the country and it does make for a terrific atmosphere. And it is entertainment which, after all, is what boxing should be.
Yes we all love our world champions, our Ricky Hattons and David Hayes but these are guys that put bums on seats and Prizefighter does just that.
And if it goes to form on Friday, it will also put Herbie Hide back on the British boxing map.
