BOXING: RUNCORN'S Robin Reid expects Florida to be cooler than Widnes on Saturday as he turns up the heat to win over his doubters.
Trying to prove sceptics wrong has become a career-long occupation for the 34-year-old.
And, typically, promoters of his IBF/IBO super-middleweight title contest with Jeff Lacy have already pencilled in the American for a November unification fight with Joe Calzaghe.
But Reid is determined to claim that bout for himself.
He can do so in the knowledge even in the sunshine state, where recent temperatures have reached 98°, he shouldn't have a problem with the heat exhaustion he suffered at King-sway Leisure Centre back in 1997.
It was there he beat Hassine Cherife to retain his then WBC belt before being taken to hospital after 12 airless rounds under the TV lights.
'The arena we fight in is an ice-hockey venue and air conditioned so there won't be another Widnes,' he said before flying off to Tampa.
Most of a sell-out 25,000 crowd will be supporting Lacy in the hope he can make the fight with Calzaghe, the WBO title holder.
But Reid, now in his 14th year as a pro, has been seeking another match-up with Calzaghe for the last six years. The Welshman controversially won their previous meeting on points in 1999.
Reid said: 'The fact that everybody seems to be looking past me is just another negative I turn into a positive. But I will be throwing a big spanner into the works. When I beat Lacy, Calzaghe won't be able to avoid me any more.'
The hard-hitting Lacy has 19 straight wins - 15 inside the distance.
