Robin Reid looks back on career and the Joe Calzaghe rematch that never was
Robin Reid discusses time as World Champion, Joe Calzaghe and anti-knife campaigning
Former WBF World Champion Robin Reid has turned his attention after boxing to preventing knife crime in local communities.
Barcelona 1992 Olympic bronze medallist Reid was a three-time world champion, making six defences of his WBF world title on UK soil, along with winning WBC and IBO world titles and infamously giving Joe Calzaghe arguably the toughest fight of his career.
Reid discussed his time as world champion and his rivalry with modern day great Calzaghe. The Runcorn man said, "Being world champion is the pinnacle of your professional career. I loved every minute of being world champion and I had some great fights in the UK with the WBF as many people remember as I made six defences of that world title.
"It was a dream to achieve the success that I did and put on some entertaining world title fights that people still talk about to this day as well as people asking why the Calzaghe rematch never happened."
Reid opened up on his feelings towards Calzaghe and why the rematch never materialised, “I don’t hate Joe Calzaghe, like some people say, I have tons of respect for the guy. I gave him a hell of a fight and I thought I deserved at least a draw and when we fought it we were both in our prime. With all due respect, Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins were slightly past their primes when he fought them, that wasn’t the case with us.
“The rematch should have happened, it was a great fight and people still talk about why it never happened. It came down to the politics of boxing and a conflict between managers. That’s boxing I’m afraid and that was why it never happened and that is a shame.”
The Runcorn native now is a leading light in ‘Safety Guide Foundation’ whose objective is to prevent knife-crime in local communities. Reid discussed the foundation in the gym he became world champion at Moston & Collyhurst in a campaign that has been covered by many national media outlets in the UK.
The 'Grim Reaper' Reid, who is also a part of the World Boxing Federation Advisory Committee, said, “What we’re about is to get the message across to the kids about carrying knives. We’re very passionate about getting the message across about knife crime and raising awareness of the implications that come with carrying knives.
“I don’t think kids realise the impact knives can have on their lives and other lives. I have never been around knife crime as when I was a kid people didn’t carry knives. Kids are unfortunately falling into the trend of carrying knives and we’re trying to educate the kids on the dangers of carrying knives.
Reid continued discussing his role with the World Boxing Federation, "As everybody knows I made six defences of my WBF title in the UK and those fights led me into some of the biggest fights in Britain at the time. I will always have fond memories as WBF World Champion so being a part of their Advisory Committee is a way for me to give something positive back to the sport on a global scale."
