Shame ... Herbie Hide
Published: 30 minutes ago
FORMER boxing world champ Herbie Hide is today exposed as a drug Mr Fixit ready to throw a title fight for £1million.
The 41-year-old British heavyweight arranged for cocaine to be delivered to undercover Sun reporters by a dealer who repeatedly boasted about his close links to the fighter.
And Hide bragged about how he would fix a showpiece bout, saying: “Whoever, which round you want, whatever you want as long as you put the money.
“I can guarantee one thing, you can get whoever is the favourite, you can get them to step down for a million pounds.
'BOXING'S not about who's the best, it's about business' — shame of ex-champ's offer to throw fight
“You need a big name on good record — yeah, like myself!”
The twice-crowned champion outlined the cynical fight-rigging scheme in a series of filmed meetings with our investigators.
Hide even suggested drawing another unwitting top boxer into the plot — a move which would allow crooked punters to make millions from a fixed fight.
He said: “Boxing is not like what you think. It’s a business.
Caught on film ... boxer Hide explained to reporters how fight-fixing scam would work
“It’s not about who is the best, it’s about business.”
The cocaine dealer told our reporters: “Herbie gave me your number. How many grams was it you are after, four? It’s £100 a gram.
“Herbie gets it off me. Herbie said, ‘These guys want good stuff’.”
Police last night confirmed they were investigating drug allegations following our probe.
'Get the favourite to go down in the round you call' — the moment boxing crook offered to cheat fans
EXCLUSIVE by MAZHER MAHMOOD
CROOKED Herbie Hide offered to throw a world title fight — and told how a bout could be rigged so the favourite would go down in any round a punter chose.
The grasping ex-heavyweight champ revealed in a series of meetings with undercover Sun reporters that he would be prepared to lose for £1million, resulting in huge bet payouts.
He told them: “What you want to do is simple, yeah, is to see who the favourite is and get the favourite to go down in the round you call. It will be arranged.”
Hide, who acknowledged fixing was illegal and could result in prosecution, added: “If you’re talking about somebody to lose a fight... there’s got to be big money involved. Like me. You want me to lose?”
The 41-year-old fighter — twice crowned world heavyweight champion — even asked: “Who do you want me to lose to and for what?”
We began our investigation after being told how Hide, nicknamed the Dancing Destroyer, was bidding to secure one last huge crooked pay-day before hanging up his gloves.
Champ ... grinning Hide celebrates victory after a 1992 fight. He twice took heavyweight crown
Bob Thomas Sports Photography
A boxing source said he was keen to maintain the lifestyle which sees him live in an enormous £1.5million home in Norwich — scene of tragedy last year when a 25-year-old was stabbed to death at a party.
Our reporters approached Hide posing as businessmen who were interested in organising exhibition bouts in the Middle East.
Asked if it would be possible for one of the Middle Eastern boxers to win, Hide responded by saying there would have to be “big money involved” for him to lose. He said: “Who do you want me to lose to and then for what? Definitely things we can do. But the thing about it is that you need a big name on good record — yeah, like myself!”
Hide then tried to persuade us to bankroll his comeback, offering us a deal that would pocket him a fortune in return for a fixed championship fight.
Unlike exhibition matches, a professional competitive bout is officially recorded on a boxer’s record, allowing millions to be staked around the world by punters on bets about the outcome.
Hide went on: “I’m trying to get a world championship fight again and this (the fixing) is something we can arrange.”
Just six days later, he turned up for a second meeting at a luxury hotel near his Norfolk home.
During the hour-long discussion, the 6ft 2in fighter provided an insight into how the scam would operate.
Sprawled in a chair and dressed in a baggy grey cardigan and jeans, he admitted: “Boxing is not like what you think. It’s a business. It’s not about who is the best, it’s about business.”
At present Hide is not licensed to fight. But he dismissively claimed he could easily obtain permission — and claimed he needn’t even do that for a world title fight abroad.
He added: “Basically I want to have two fights. I will fight a bum just to get warmed up again.
Heavy hitter ... Hide & Derek McCafferty in 2003. There is no suggestion any of Hide’s matches were fixed
“There’s two fights to get me ranked. Ranking means in about four, five months’ time I’ll be fighting for the world championships.
“The thing you were talking about can then come in. If you have it in your mind and you are ready to pay it will be done.
“However, then whatever we then discuss in the world championship fight — if we decide to win it or lose it — that’s between us.” Hide even suggested the name of another top fighter with an impressive winning record to take part in the championship bout.
He said: “Whoever do the fight... it will be done. It can be done next month. Money speaks.”
There is no suggestion that the other boxer has ever been involved in match-fixing.
Hide said: “What you want to do is simple, yeah, is to see who the favourite is and get the favourite to go down in the round you call. It will be arranged.” He went on: “You need to speak to two boxers. What I’m saying to you is that can be done. If you put a million pounds, you’d be able to get either boxer to do that.
“I can guarantee you one thing, you can get whoever is the favourite, you can get them to step down for a million pounds. Whoever, which round you want.
“Like now if I go there to get a million to lose I want an immediate re-match so I could prove myself. I could have them fights whenever.”
Hide then explained how his inside knowledge could help further manipulate the betting on the fights by staging press conferences and sparring sessions held before them.
Handshake ... fighter meets an undercover Sun reporter
These are regarded as key indicators of how fighters are likely to perform and have a large impact on betting odds.
Hide said: “You see the betting can go up and down — put it on the press conferences.
“The fight could be made now, me and him to fight. The way I’m training, I’m sparring, knocking people out, the betting changes. It depends on the press conferences.
“Depending on what happens, when the fight is made people will start talking. The pair talk s*** at the conference — hype the fight up.”
Greedy Hide then attempted to justify the £1million fee he was demanding to fix a bout.
He said: “If you get a bum to lose it don’t make no difference to him, but who will bet on a bum? Nobody will bet on a bum.
“You’re talking about a big fight where people are putting hundreds of thousands on betting, they do millions of pounds — a championship fight is big money.
“Money speaks and that’s where you can get people that will do it.”
The fighter added: “Whoever, which round you want. A fight can be made, whatever you want, as long as you put the money.”
Hide also told how one boxer accepted a bung mid-fight to feign injury so his opponent would stay undefeated. He said: “I’m with the manager in the corner and (he) told his corner to stop the fight. His corner said to him, ‘You’ve got to stop. They’ve offered him more money’.”
He then warned our reporters about discussing fixing, saying: “I’m telling you secrets. It’s not something you want to be saying. What you’re doing as well it’s against the law, you could be prosecuted.”
After his heavyweight success Hide stepped down to cruiserweight and has won 14 successive fights and remains unbeaten at that weight.
There is NO suggestion that any of his previous fights have been rigged. The boxing source said: “Herbie simply wants to make as much money before he is too old to fight.
“He is making a comeback and has told his closest pals he wants to fix the fight to make megabucks so he can keep his lifestyle going. He’s not even being discreet about it.
“He never needed to do this before because he could make money legitimately, but this is the only way he can now make big money.”
But last night Hide was facing questions after we handed the results of our investigation to Norfolk Police.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4809904/Herbie-Hide-peddles-cocaine-and-offers-to-throw-title-fight.html#ixzz2LlxrHYDm
