How would this go? Talk to me! I grew up in Norwich and Herbie was a bit of a hero to me, tough (how many times did he get up against Bowe?!!), fearless, powerful puncher and he scored a number of highlight reel KO's which to a young boy is pretty special to see. I'm going to go with Hide purely because he had the power to bang Haye out Thompson style, both were physically more suited to Cruiserweight.
Haye KO inside 3 rounds. Haye was a far better boxer, had the longer reach, power advantage and better punch resitance.
Hide retired undefeated at Cruiser, I don't think it would be the formality many think. Enzo had shown on a number of occasions that he was more than beatable prior to sharing a ring with Haye.
Are we talking prime Hide cutting to cruiser, or the latter career version who actually fought at the weight? Haye is the heavy favourite regardless, but a 1994 Hide would be potentially the most dangerous guy Haye fought at Cruiser. Hide should be able to cut to 200 without too trouble, and Haye wasn't made of iron. Hide was a speed demon, but Haye had freakish timing and if he landed flush I don't think there's any way back for Hide. Haye did show an ability to get off the floor and overcome adversity against a better calibre of opponent, whereas Hide was very much a front-runner. Haye also carried his power late in a way that Hide never demonstrated. It's possible that Hide catches Haye and takes him out, but the more likely outcome is a highlight reel KO the other way.
Prime Hide at Cruiser vs Prime Haye at Cruiser. Up until a ridicuous mismatch in size against Bowe, when he finally bit off more than he could chew, Hide was a serious badass. After that defeat things unravelled a bit and later on in his career his party lifestyle caught up with him. Hide was a heavier hitter than Haye and for me that would be the difference, the man with the perfect punch, the Dancing Destroyer, Herbie Hide.
Hide was a nervous wreck against anyone with a pulse especially during the early part of his career, he was more than capable of taking Haye out but I just see him getting caught flush as he leaps in with his eyes closed and chin up in the air, you can get away with that **** against the likes of Michael Bentt or the corpse of Tony Tucker but against a vicious, lightning fast puncher like Haye Herbie get's flattened inside 4.
Haye never faced anything like Hide so it would definitely have been an interesting fight to watch. I'm still saying Herbie, I think he would have caught Haye out and shaken him to his boots.
