Prince Naseem Hamed, All-Time Featherweight Electric Presence!
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Prince Naseem Hamed Career Highlights
As both boxing journalist and boxing historian, this reporter looks at the flow of bouts over a professional fighter’s career, and also at the charisma and energy the fighter brings to promote the sport of boxing. With an electric ring presence which captivated the world, Prince NaseemHamed, enjoyed a 37 professional bout career between 1992 and 2002 and spent his entire career atop the 126 pound featherweight division as one of its great masters.Hamed’s 37-1 professional record of the southpaw Hamed from Sheffield, United Kingdom is less historically significant then the pathway Hamed followed to the top.
Turning pro at age 18 after boxing for eleven years as an amateur, Hamed fought eleven bouts in the first 24 months of his pro career in the United Kingdom, and only one went the six round distance. Hamed then won and defended the European Featherweight title in the United Kingdom, both bouts in 1994 ended in less than four rounds. Hamed then won the World Boxing Council International Featherweight title in 1994, and defended it four times in 1995, all bouts in the United Kingdom.
Hamed won the World Boxing Organization by ninth round stoppage over Steve Robinson in 1995, and then defended it in the United Kingdom and the United States eleven times in six years, later adding the International Boxing Federation World Featherweight title. Hamed finally lost universal recognition when he lost the WBO belt by 12 round decision to Marco Antonio Barrera in April 2001. Hamed fought only once, more winning the vacant International Boxing Organization version of the World Featherweight title by 12 round decision over Manuel Calvo in May 2002.
Hamed scored many knockdowns and 31 knockout sin his career, largely because he was a unique fighter whose fancy footwork and ability to slip punches created unusually strange angles to throw power shots from, and use his overwhelming power to take out seemingly more skilled opponents. Hamed’s appearance and presence was fast and flashy, and his hand speed was lightning fast and flashy too. However, later on, persistent hand injuries meant Hadem required cortisone injections later on his career to deal with the pain. His power diminished, Hamed was unable to box with the same speed, timing and power he had earlier in his career. His hands got swollen. He wisely chose to retire in 2002 at age 28. Hamed, now 41, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame earlier this year.
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