Naseem Hamed

Naseem Hamed
Statistics
Real name	Naseem Hamed
Nickname(s)	Prince, Naz
Rated at	Featherweight Super Bantamweight Bantamweight
Height	5 ft 4 1⁄2 in (1.64 m)
Reach	64 in (163 cm)
Nationality	English Yemeni
Born	12 February 1974 (1974-02-12) (age 37) Sheffield, England
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	36
Wins by KO	31
Losses	1
Draws	0
No contests	0

Naseem Hamed (Arabic: نسيم حميد, Nasīm Ḥamīd; also known as Prince Naseem; born 12 February 1974) is an English former professional boxer.

He is the former WBO, WBC, IBF, & Lineal featherweight champion, and European bantamweight champion.

Hamed was known for his boxing antics and spectacular ring entrances that have included entering the ring via a Chevrolet Impala, a flying carpet, an elevator, and a palanquin; re-enacting the video of Michael Jackson's Thriller; and wearing a Halloween mask. He was also known for his front somersault over the top rope into the ring.

Biography

Early career

Hamed was born in Sheffield, to Yemeni parents, in 1974. Hamed started boxing professionally at Flyweight in 1992. He soon began rising through the ranks as he knocked out a series of opponents in the opening rounds. Age 20 he won the European bantamweight title, comprehensively beating the beleaguered Vincenzo Belcastro over twelve rounds. After one defense he added the WBC International super bantamweight title to his CV in 1994, overwhelming Freddy Cruz in Sheffield, whom he severely punished and stopped in six rounds. Hamed's popularity grew, his unorthodox style winning a large fan base and his boxing antics generating a large group of detractors. After signing for Frank Warren, Hamed, employing more spectacular entrances, knocked out better opposition in Enrique Angeles and Juan Polo Pérez, both within two rounds.

World Featherweight Champion

Later in 1995, after controversially being named the WBO #1 featherweight contender (despite never having boxed at that weight), Hamed moved up to face Wales' defending WBO champion Steve Robinson. After dominating the bout and scoring a knockdown in round 5, Hamed won the title when the referee stopped the fight in round 8 after Robinson was caught with a left hook and lost his footing. The fight was held in front of Robinson's home crowd at Cardiff Arms Park, a roofless stadium now replaced by The Millenium Stadium, with rain pouring down on the fighters and the ring^[1]

His first defence came against Austrian based Nigerian, Said Lawal, who was instantly knocked down from Hamed's first punch, then stopped in just 35 seconds after being effortlessly dropped again. This was the fastest world title fight ever held in Scotland, much to the displeasure of the crowd. Hamed's second defence was against undefeated Puerto Rican Daniel Alicea. Televised in the United States by Showtime, Hamed was carried to the ring on a grand throne, something which Hamed later stated he was not comfortable with. After a fast, lively start from Alicea, Hamed suffered a surprising brief knockdown in round 1, the first of his career. However, Hamed won the fight in his favoured round 2 with two knockdowns, the second of which forced the referee to wave the fight off instantly.

Hamed's next defence was in Dublin against former two-time world featherweight title holder Manuel Medina. After knocking Medina down heavily in round 2, Hamed struggled to finish the fight until finally knocking Medina down twice in round 11. The end came when the ring side doctor advised Medina's corner to stop the fight. Hamed revealed in his post-fight interview that he'd fought with a heavy cold. Medina would go on to have many more tough title fights, remarkably winning versions of the featherweight world title another three times. Hamed's next opponent was the 27-0 Remigio Molina of Argentina, who was stopped in two rounds.

In February 1997, Hamed defeated long-time IBF champion Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson in eight rounds in a unification bout at the London Arena. After being constantly stunned and staggered from round 3 onwards, Johnson was finally dropped by a huge uppercut, then saved from further punishment by the referee. Hamed's first defence of both the WBO & IBF titles was a first round ko of veteran British boxer and European champion Billy Hardy. Before the bout Hamed had correctly predicted he would win in round 1. The next defence was an easy two round win against a hugely outclassed Juan Gerardo Carbrera. Due to boxing politics involving the IBF's mandatory challenger, Hamed was soon forced to relinquish the IBF title.

In Hamed's hometown of Sheffield in October 1997, he produced one of the best performances of his career in defending his WBO title against Jose Badillo, whose corner entered the ring to stop the fight during round 7.

In late 1997 Hamed made his heavily hyped U.S. debut. His ceremonious arrival on the British Airways Concorde was covered by multiple media outlets. There, he and former WBC title holder Kevin Kelley fought in a highly entertaining bout. This fight marks something of a watershed in Hamed's career, as he was forced, for the first time, to abandon his hands-down style of fighting throughout the entire course of the bout, given the calibre of Kelley. Nonetheless, despite suffering three knockdowns himself, Hamed put Kelley down for a third and final time to win by a fourth round knockout. This was his first of many fights on HBO.

In 1998, Hamed enjoyed victories over former three-time WBA title holder and then Lineal champion Wilfredo Vazquez (TKO 7), former WBC bantamweight title holder Wayne McCullough (W 12), and future IBF title holder Paul Ingle (TKO 11). In October 1999 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States, Hamed defeated WBC featherweight champion Cesar Soto of Mexico over 12 rounds, adding the WBC title to his collection and briefly unifying the WBC & WBO titles. Hamed soon chose to relinquish his WBC title due to his commitment to being WBO champion.

Had Vazquez not been (deliberately) stripped by the WBA of his belt (the WBA did not want their featherweight title unified with the WBO), Hamed would have had the distinction of winning all four world titles in a division, something only Riddick Bowe had achieved at heavyweight.

In March 2000 at Olympia, Kensington, London, Hamed knocked out former undefeated long-reigning IBF super bantamweight title holder, Vuyani Bungu of South Africa. The fight was ended with a single straight left hand, in one of Hamed's most impressive performances and biggest victories.

Hamed successfully retained his WBO title for the fifteenth and final time in August 2000 against Augie Sanchez at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States via a devastating fourth round knockout. After this bout, rather than face the unknown EBU Champion & WBO mandatory challenger István Kovács, Hamed relinquished his WBO title to pave the way for a Superfight with long-time rival, Marco Antonio Barrera.

Hamed vs Barrera

On 7 April 2001 at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Hamed lost to Marco Antonio Barrera via a unanimous decision, losing his Lineal championship. Hamed's record at the time was 35-0 and he was a heavy favourite with bookmaker's odds of 1/8. After being wobbled in Round 1, Hamed could not hit Barrera with his trademark lefts as the Mexican boxer was equally as quick and was not fighting defensively. His game plan was to circle around Hamed anti-clockwise to negate Hamed's powerful left hand punch. On one occasion early in the fight, Hamed grabbed Barrera and they both fell to the ground where Barrera threw a right jab, leading to a warning from referee Joe Cortez. In the 12th and final round, Hamed, still looking for the knockout punch, missed wildy with a left hand, resulting in Barrera taking the opportunity to trap Hamed in a Half Nelson hold and force his head into the turnbuckle, resulting in a point deducted by referee Joe Cortez. Ultimately, Barrera was more versatile and threw more impressive combinations forcing Hamed into going for ill directed power punches.

Final bout

On 18 May 2002 at ExCel Arena, Docklands, London, Hamed returned to the ring for what turned out to be his final boxing match, against the European champion Manuel Calvo. Despite winning the fight comfortably by a unanimous decision, Hamed performed poorly, resulting in boos and derision from the British crowd during the later rounds, with many people leaving before the last round.^[2] In a tense post-fight interview with Ian Darke, Hamed assured a quick return to the ring which ultimately never happened. Vague talk of a return to the sport has swirled around the charismatic fighter ever since, but no firm plans have ever been made.

In an interview for Sky Sports, Hamed mentioned that part of the reason that he left boxing after this fight was because of his commitments to his family, whom he would often not see for up to 9 weeks at a time whilst attending training camps. Hamed also gave an interview for BBC Radio Sportsweek and announced that his retirement was largely due to chronic hand problems, which meant he had to take tendinitis injections after every fight.

Legacy and impact

Naseem Hamed's Boxing story is seen by many experts in the sport as one of unfulfilled potential. Frank Warren the boxing promoter once said of Hamed: "I think at one stage he was the most exciting fighter that I'd ever been involved with. At one stage, in the early part of his career, he could have gone on to become one of the great fighters. But that disappeared when he didn't fight as regularly as he should have done, when he was cutting corners on his training. It just didn't work out for him from that point on."^[3]

Moreover commentators have pointed out that Hamed's ability should have propelled him to achievements that would have given him legendary status, but that his noted dislike of the long hard training camps and long periods away from his family hindered this.^[4]. Such speculation, however, has been largely fueled by his supporters. Others have pointed out that Hamed's unorthodox style and porous defense made him vulnerable to well-schooled, balanced fighters, and in fact, the first time he faced one such fighter, Barrera, he was exposed as such.

As popular lower weight fighters like Oscar de la Hoya and Kostya Tszyu moved into the mid-weight classes and the Mexican champion Julio César Chávez declined, Hamed and Arturo Gatti filled the void. Hamed's boxing antics made him the new poster-boy for lighter-weight boxers and his charisma attracted a large number of fans. Hamed was referenced by the rapper Nas in the song "You Won't See Me Tonight", with the lyrics "I can't forget how I met you//you thought I was a boxer//Prince Naseem but I'm a mobster, Nas from Queens". Hamed himself recorded a song with hip hop group Kaliphz called "Walk Like a Champion", which reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart in 1996.

British boxing pundit Steve Bunce stated on the 15 March 2008 edition of BBC panel show Fighting Talk that Hamed was the greatest British boxer of all time. World Boxing, a sister publication of the more famous The Ring magazine, ranked Hamed as the 11th greatest British boxer of all-time. The Ring Magazine also ranked Hamed as the 46th greatest puncher of all-time.

Professional boxing record

36 Wins (31 Knockouts), 1 Defeat, 0 Draws[5]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	36-1	Manuel Calvo	UD	12	2002-05-18	ExCel Arena, Docklands, London
Loss	35-1	Marco Antonio Barrera	UD	12	2001-04-07	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost Lineal featherweight title.
Win	35-0	Augie Sanchez	TKO	4 (12), 2:34	2000-08-19	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut	Retained WBO & Lineal featherweight titles.
Win	34-0	Vuyani Bungu	TKO	4 (12), 1:38	2000-03-11	Olympia, Kensington, London	Retained WBO & Lineal featherweight titles.
Win	33-0	César Soto	UD	12	1999-10-22	Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan	Retained WBO & Lineal featherweight titles, & won WBC featherweight title.
Win	32-0	Paul Ingle	TKO	11 (12), 0:45	1999-04-10	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBO & Lineal featherweight titles.
Win	31-0	Wayne McCullough	UD	12	1998-10-31	Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBO & Lineal featherweight titles.
Win	30-0	Wilfredo Vazquez	TKO	7 (12), 2:29	1998-04-18	Nynex Arena, Manchester	Retained WBO & won Lineal featherweight titles.
Win	29-0	Kevin Kelley	TKO	4 (12), 2:27	1997-12-19	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	28-0	Jose Badillo	TKO	7 (12), 1:37	1997-10-11	Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	27-0	Juan Gerardo Cabrera	TKO	2 (12), 2:17	1997-07-19	The Arena, Wembley, London	Retained WBO & IBF featherweight titles.
Win	26-0	Billy Hardy	TKO	1 (12), 1:33	1997-05-03	Nynex Arena, Manchester	Retained WBO & IBF featherweight titles.
Win	25-0	Tom Johnson	TKO	8 (12), 2:27	1997-02-08	New London Arena, Millwall, London	Retained WBO & won IBF featherweight titles.
Win	24-0	Remigio Molina	TKO	2 (12)	1996-11-09	Nynex Arena, Manchester	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	23-0	Manuel Medina	RTD	11 (12), 3:00	1996-08-31	The Point, Dublin	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	22-0	Daniel Alicea	TKO	2 (12), 2:46	1996-06-08	Telewest Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	21-0	Said Lawal	KO	1 (12), 0:35	1996-03-16	Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow	Retained WBO featherweight title.
Win	20-0	Steve Robinson	TKO	8 (12), 1:40	1995-09-30	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	Won WBO featherweight title.
Win	19-0	Juan Polo Perez	KO	2 (12)	1995-07-01	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London	Retained WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	18-0	Enrique Angeles	KO	2 (12)	1995-05-06	Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset	Retained WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	17-0	Sergio Rafael Liendo	KO	2 (12)	1995-03-04	Forum, Livingston	Retained WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	16-0	Armando Castro	KO	4 (12)	1995-01-21	Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow	Retained WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	15-0	Laureano Ramírez	TKO	3 (12)	1994-11-19	Wales National Ice Rink, Cardiff	Retained WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	14-0	Freddy Cruz	TKO	6 (12)	1994-10-12	Ponds Forge Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire	Won vacant WBC International super bantamweight title.
Win	13-0	Antonio Picardi	TKO	3 (12)	1994-08-17	Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, Yorkshire	Retained EBU (European) bantamweight title.
Win	12-0	Vincenzo Belcastro	UD	12	1994-05-11	Ponds Forge Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire	Won EBU (European) bantamweight title.
Win	11-0	John Miceli	KO	1 (6)	1994-04-09	Leisure Centre, Mansfield, Nottingham
Win	10-0	Peter Buckley	TKO	4 (6)	1994-01-29	Wales National Ice Rink, Cardiff
Win	9-0	Chris Clarkson	KO	2 (6)	1993-09-24	National Basketball Arena, Dublin
Win	8-0	Kevin Jenkins	TKO	3 (6)	1993-05-26	Leisure Centre, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Win	7-0	Alan Ley	KO	2 (6)	1993-02-24	Grand Hall, Wembley, London
Win	6-0	Peter Buckley	PTS	6	1992-11-12	Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside
Win	5-0	Des Gargano	KO	4 (6)	1992-10-07	Crowtree Leisure Centre, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Win	4-0	Miguel Matthews	KO	3 (6)	1992-07-14	Grosvenor House Hotel, Mayfair, London
Win	3-0	Andrew Bloomer	TKO	2 (6)	1992-05-23	National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands
Win	2-0	Shaun Norman	KO	2 (6)	1992-04-25	G-Mex Leisure Centre, Manchester
Win	1-0	Ricky Beard	KO	2 (6), 2:36	1992-04-14	Leisure Centre, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire	Professional Debut

Championships and accomplishments

Major Sanctioning Bodies

• WBO Featherweight Champion (126 lbs)
• IBF Featherweight Champion (126 lbs)
• WBC Featherweight Champion (126 lbs)

Lineal Championship titles:

• World Featherweight Champion (126 lbs)

Regional/International Titles

• WBC International Super Bantamweight Championship (122 lbs)
• EBU Bantamweight Championship (118 lbs)

Controversy outside the ring

On 2 May 2005 Hamed was involved in a 90-mph three-car collision at Ringinglow Road, Sheffield, while driving his £300,000 silver McLaren-Mercedes SLR. He was arrested on 3 May, released on bail and later charged at Sheffield Magistrates Court on 3 December.^[6]

On 31 March 2006 Hamed entered a plea of guilty and was warned he could face jail by a judge at Sheffield Crown Court.^[7] The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack, adjourned the case until 12 May to allow pre-sentence reports to be prepared. The court heard how the man in the car Hamed hit, later revealed as 38-year-old Anthony Burgin, who had attended a number of previous hearings, was unable to come to court because he was in hospital for further treatment. His wife Clare was also injured.

On 12 May the court heard in a sentencing hearing how Hamed had been anxious to impress businessman Asif Goro, who was a passenger in the McLaren-Mercedes at the time of the crash. Hamed was showing what his car could do when he crossed a solid white line at a speed of at least 90 mph and crashed head-on into a Volkswagen Golf that emerged from a dip in the road. Hamed's car then hit a second vehicle, the Ford Mondeo he had been trying to overtake. Mr. Burgin, the driver of the Volkswagen Golf, was very seriously injured, breaking every major bone in his body and suffering bruising to the brain.^[8] Hamed escaped unhurt.

Hamed was sentenced for 15 months after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. He was also given a four-year driving ban. Judge Alan Goldsack told Hamed: "I find it astonishing that the DVLA has not been prepared to cooperate with the prosecution to give them details of your earlier offences - apparently on human rights grounds." The DVLA's decision led to Hamed being sentenced without the judge being told he had previously been banned for a year for driving a Porsche at 110 mph on the M1 in Derbyshire. It was also revealed that Hamed had three other previous convictions for speeding offences, details of which the prosecution had to find from court records.

Hamed was granted an early release and left prison on 4 September 2006 after serving 16 weeks of the 15-month sentence. Hamed was placed under Home Detention Curfew for the remainder of his sentence, and monitored by an electronic tag. Anthony Burgin, the driver whom Hamed collided with, said: "I am shocked that after such a serious accident Mr Hamed has been released after less than four months." Nevertheless, the appointment of Hamed to be a "Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" (otherwise known as an MBE) was annulled as a consequence of the conviction.</ref>

There was also a civil court case rumoured to cost Hamed up to £1 million plus legal costs, as Burgin was deemed unable ever to work again.^[9]

Burgin was later arrested and charged with dangerous driving for an incident alleged to have involved Eleasha Hamed (the wife of Naseem) on 19 April 2007. Burgin pleaded not guilty, and appeared in court on 17 March 2008,^[10] following which he was cleared of charges.^[11]

References

1. ^ SFX Sports group profile on Naseem Hamed
2. ^ Commentary remarks during UK TV coverage
3. ^ "The Prince's Place in History". Eastsideboxing. 4 January 2006. http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=6498&more=1. 
4. ^ "Prince Naseem Hamed "I was bloody good"". sky sports. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYtnwxNbFtA. 
5. ^ Naseem Hamed's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-27.
6. ^ "Prince Naseem arrested over crash". BBC News. 19 December 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4507243.stm. 
7. ^ "Boxer could face jail after crash". BBC News. 31 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4864262.stm. 
8. ^ "Naseem Hamed jailed for car crash". BBC News. 12 May 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4764161.stm. 
9. ^ "Early release for ex-boxing champ". BBC News. 1 September 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/5306648.stm. 
10. ^ "Hamed crash victim denies charge". BBC News. 14 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7187790.stm. 
11. ^ Taylor, Alistair (20 March 2008). "Victim cleared on Naz car rap". London: The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article941478.ece. 

External links

• Professional boxing record for Naseem Hamed from BoxRec
• BBC's Naseem Hamed profile

Preceded by Steve Robinson	WBO Featherweight Champion 30 September 1995 – 30 September 2000 Vacated	Succeeded by Istvan Kovacs
Preceded by Tom Johnson	IBF Featherweight Champion 8 February 1997– July 1997 Vacated	Succeeded by Hector Lizarraga
Preceded by Wilfredo Vázquez	Lineal Featherweight Champion 18 April 1998– 7 April 2001	Succeeded by Marco Antonio Barrera
Preceded by Cesar Soto	WBC Featherweight Champion 22 October 1999– 2000 Vacated	Succeeded by Guty Espadas, Jr.

Persondata
Name	Hamed, Naseem
Alternative names	Naz; Prince Nazeem
Short description	Boxer
Date of birth	1974-02-12
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Date of death
Place of death