| Naseem Hamed | |
| Nickname: |
|
| Weight: | |
| Height: | 5 ft 3 in[1] [2] |
| Reach: | 63 in |
| Birth Date: | 12 February 1974[3] |
| Birth Place: | Sheffield, England |
| Style: | Southpaw |
| Total: | 37 |
| Wins: | 36 |
| Ko: | 31 |
| Losses: | 1 |
Naseem Hamed (Arabic: نسيم حميد; born 12 February 1974), nicknamed Prince Naseem and Naz, is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2002.[4] [5] He held multiple featherweight world championships between 1995 and 2000, and reigned as lineal champion from 1998 to 2001. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) featherweight title from 2002 to 2003, and the European bantamweight title from 1994 to 1995. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The Ring magazine retroactively awarded Hamed their featherweight title in 2019 to acknowledge his dominance of the division and the multiple champions he defeated; he is the only former world champion in any division thus far to receive this honour.[6]
Hamed was known for his unconventional boxing antics and spectacular ring entrances which included entering the ring on a flying carpet, a lift, and a palanquin, as well as 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, his highly athletic and hard-hitting southpaw boxing style, and formidable one-punch knockout power, having finished his career with a knockout-to-win percentage of 84%.[7] [8] With his cocky persona and high-profile bouts he was a prominent figure in 1990s British pop culture, while Sean Ingle in The Guardian writes, "in his prime, Hamed was a global superstar". A headliner on both sides of the Atlantic, Dan Rafael of ESPN writes, "one of the biggest stars in the sport, the guy sold out arenas before his opponent was even named."
As of August 2023, BoxRec ranks Hamed as the 22nd greatest European pound-for-pound boxer of all time[9] and the 12th greatest British fighter of all time.[10] In 2016, ESPN ranked Hamed at number 22 on its list of the top 25 fighters, pound for pound, of the last 25 years. World Boxing, a sister publication of The Ring magazine, ranked Hamed the 11th greatest British boxer of all time, and Gareth A. Davies of The Telegraph ranked him 10th.[11] The Ring also ranked Hamed the 46th greatest puncher of all time.[12]
Hamed was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England to Yemeni parents, in 1974.[13] He grew up with eight siblings.[14] A protege of Brendan Ingle's Wincobank gym, his talent and flashy southpaw style marked him out from an early age.[13]
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. At age 20, he won the European bantamweight title, comprehensively beating the beleaguered Vincenzo Belcastro over twelve rounds. After one defence he won the WBC International super bantamweight title 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.[13] 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.
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 that dropped him spectacularly. The fight was held in front of Robinson's home crowd at the rugby ground, Cardiff Arms Park, with rain pouring down on the fighters and the ring.[15] This was also the first bout where Hamed badly injured his hand, a problem that would continue for the rest of his career.
Hamed's next defence was in Dublin against former two-time world featherweight title holder Manuel Medina. In an entertaining, tough contest for Hamed on the night, Medina won several rounds of the fight. After knocking Medina down heavily in round 2, Hamed struggled to finish the fight. Hamed eventually knocked Medina down another two times in the 9th round. Finally, at the end of round 11, Medina's corner withdrew him from the fight on the advice of the ringside doctor. Hamed revealed in his post-fight interview that he had 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 Cabrera. 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. Hamed's status as one of the biggest draws in the sport was evident with a stellar undercard that included Joe Calzaghe vs. Chris Eubank for the world super middleweight title.[16]
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley. 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 at New York's Madison Square Garden. Prior to the fight, Kelley told Hamed, "I'm gonna smoke your boots". 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.
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Wilfredo Vázquez, Naseem Hamed vs. Wayne McCullough and Naseem Hamed vs. Paul Ingle. 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; no relation to Hamed's then-former trainer Brendan Ingle).
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. César Soto. 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 unified the WBC & WBO titles. Hamed soon chose to relinquish his WBC title due to his commitment to being WBO champion.
Had Vazquez not been 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 by that point, at heavyweight.
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Vuyani Bungu. 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.
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Augie Sanchez. Hamed fought in August 2000 against Augie Sanchez at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Sanchez is known for being the last American to defeat Floyd Mayweather as an amateur boxer.[17]
Hamed successfully retained his WBO title for the fifteenth and final time against Sanchez via a devastating fourth-round knockout. Hamed broke his hand badly in the bout, and following surgery he spent half a year out of the gym, gaining 35 pounds in weight. 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 Marco Antonio Barrera.
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Marco Antonio Barrera. Eight weeks prior to the fight, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 7 April 2001, Marco Antonio Barrera prepared to fight. Barrera had moved up a weight division. At the end of training camp he was in the best shape of his life. According to Sky Sports, Barrera had "trained like a monk" in Big Bear, California, while Hamed trained in Bing Crosby's old house.[18] Emanuel Steward had arrived to oversee the last two weeks of Hamed's training, including sparring, and was worried immediately.[13] He had seen Barrera look razor sharp only a few months before in a stoppage win in Las Vegas, and watched Hamed not take his sparring with young Mexicans seriously.[13] The fight was also for the International Boxing Organization World featherweight title.
Barrera handed Naseem Hamed his first and only loss for the lineal featherweight championship by a twelve-round decision. Before the fight, Hamed was a 3 to 1 betting favourite in Las Vegas.[19] Hamed could not hit Barrera with his trademark lefts as Barrera circled to his left and worked both head and body. Barrera was not a fan of Hamed's antics and responded to Hamed's punches during clinches. 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 Barrera trapped Hamed in a full-nelson and forced his head into the turnbuckle, resulting in a point deducted by referee Joe Cortez. Ultimately, Barrera threw more, harder punches and more impressive combinations than Hamed throughout the course of the fight. Barrera was awarded the victory via a unanimous decision, with the scorecards reading 115–112, 115–112, 116–111 and won the lineal and IBO featherweight titles.[20] The fight drew 310,000 pay-per-view buys on HBO. It was the highest-grossing featherweight bout ever in the United States.[21]
See main article: Naseem Hamed vs. Manuel Calvo. On 18 May 2002 at London Arena, Docklands, London, Hamed returned to the ring for what turned out to be his final boxing match, against the European champion Manuel Calvo (33 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw) for the IBO World featherweight title.[22] Hamed was booed by the 10,000 fans as he won unconvincingly on points after 12 rounds looking sluggish and uninterested. The judges scored the fight 120-110 and 119-109 (twice).[23] In a post-fight interview with Ian Darke, Hamed assured a quick return to the ring, which ultimately never happened. Hamed was just 28 years old when he stopped fighting.[24] For years, Hamed did not confirm whether he had retired or not; there were talks of several fights in the UK and in the US, including Hamed's brother and manager, Riath, speaking to HBO about a potential fight with Michael Brodie.
In an interview for BBC Radio Sportsweek, Hamed said that his retirement was largely due to chronic problems with his hands, including multiple fractures as well as surgery.[25]
Hamed is a Muslim, and frequently recited the Takbir out loud before his fights.[26] Sean Ingle writes, "he was a proud Muslim who appealed to large chunks of working-class Britain. His last fight was watched by 11 million people on ITV."
In 1998, he married his girlfriend Eleasha Elphinstone, who had converted to Islam, in Sheffield.[27] [28]
By 1997, Hamed had an annual income of $14million[29] (£)[30] from fight purses and endorsements, ranking at number-22 on Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes for 1997.[29] By March 1999, his net worth was an estimated £38million.[31] By January 2001, Hamed had reportedly amassed a fortune of £50million[32] ($).[33] He earned over $million from fight purses, including $8.5million from his fight against Barrera.[34] Hamed was the second richest British boxer, after heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in 2003.[35]
Hamed's two sons, Aadam and Sami, have been training to become professional boxers.[36]
In 2023, it was announced that his younger brother, Ali, had passed away.[37]
On 31 March 2006 Hamed pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of dangerous driving in relation to a collision at Ringinglow Road in Sheffield on 2 May 2005, in which his McLaren-Mercedes SLR crossed a solid white line overtaking a Ford Mondeo and crashed head on into a Volkswagen Golf before hitting the Mondeo.[38] The Golf driver, Anthony Burgin, had fractures to "every major bone" and bruising to the brain; after multiple hospitalisations he was deemed unable ever to work again.[39] Burgin's wife was also injured; Hamed was unhurt.[40] [41] On 12 May 2006 Hamed was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment and 4 years' disqualification from driving, after the court heard he had been trying to impress his passenger, businessman Asif Ayub.[40] The judge expressed astonishment that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency had refused "apparently on human rights grounds" to disclose Hamed's four previous speeding offences, including a one-year ban for driving a Porsche at 110 mph on the M1 in Derbyshire.[40]
Hamed left prison on 4 September 2006 after serving 16 weeks, and was placed under Home Detention Curfew for the remainder of his sentence, monitored by an electronic tag.[39] After a recommendation from the Honours Forfeiture Committee, he was stripped of his MBE on 12 December 2006.[42] At a jury trial in March 2008, Anthony Burgin was cleared of dangerous driving in relation to an incident on 19 April 2007 involving Hamed's wife Eleasha.[43]
Hamed's boxing career was seen by many experts in the sport as one of massive 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."[44]
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.[45]
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. In 2002 the UK public voted Hamed's victory over Kevin Kelley on the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.[46]
British boxing pundit Steve Bunce stated on 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 Ring magazine, ranked Hamed the 11th greatest British boxer of all time, while Gareth A. Davies, boxing correspondent of The Telegraph ranked him 10th.[11] The Ring also ranked Hamed the 46th greatest puncher of all time.[12]
Hamed was part of the 2015 class for the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[47] In 2016, ESPN ranked Hamed at number 22 on its list of the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters of the last 25 years.[48]
Hamed is considered one of the most successful and influential British fighters. UK sports commentator Steve Bunce called him the "most influential fighter of my 35 years in the British boxing business". According to boxing trainer Emanuel Steward, Hamed "opened the door" for British fighters as well as for boxers from lower weight divisions to earn significant prize money; his earnings were unprecedented for a featherweight. According to his boxing trainer nephew SugarHill Steward, Hamed's "flair and skill and confidence" inspired "a generation" and "gave fighters over here a massive opportunity, the confidence to crack the American market." HBO executive Lou DiBella compared his impact to that of Muhammad Ali, arguing that Hamed "changed boxing" and "redefined the fighter as a showman and an entertainer".[49]
He was a source of inspiration for a number of world champions in boxing and MMA, including Tyson Fury,[49] Oleksandr Usyk,[50] Conor McGregor,[51] Israel Adesanya,[52] Floyd Mayweather,[53] Manny Pacquiao,[54] Nonito Donaire,[55] David Benavidez,[56] Billy Joe Saunders, Amir Khan,[57] Carl Froch, and David Haye. He also inspired a number of boxing trainers who have gone on to train world champions, including SugarHill Steward and Ben Davison.[58] [59]
Hamed was referenced by hip-hop artist 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.[60]
Hamed had a licensed sports fighting game, Prince Naseem Boxing, published by Codemasters for the PlayStation console in 2000.[61] A portable version of the game was also released for the Game Boy Color, developed by Virtucraft, which later in 2002 developed a Mike Tyson based follow-up, Mike Tyson Boxing, for the Game Boy Advance.[62]
Hamed also inspired a character called Prince Naseem in Squaresoft's fighting game Ehrgeiz, released in 1998. While called "Prince Naseem" in the original Japanese version, the character's name was changed to "Prince Doza" in the Western versions.[63]
In the Japanese manga series Hajime no Ippo, the fictional American boxing champion Bryan Hawk is based on Naseem Hamed.[64]
In the Japanese manga series Batuque, the fictional character Shyun Amamiya is a fan of Naseem Hamed and takes inspiration from his fighting style.
In the Tamil movie Sarpatta Parambarai (2021), the boxing style of fictional character Dancing Rose, played by Shabeer Kallarakkal, is based on Naseem Hamed.
A film based on Hamed and his relationship with trainer Brendan Ingle was announced in 2023. It will be directed by Rowan Athale, with Sylvester Stallone as an executive producer. Mena Massoud and Paddy Considine will star in the film.[65]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Win | 36–1 | Manuel Calvo | UD | 12 | 18 May 2002 | |||
| 36 | Loss | 35–1 | Marco Antonio Barrera | UD | 12 | 7 Apr 2001 | |||
| 35 | Win | 35–0 | Augie Sanchez | TKO | 4 (12), | 19 Aug 2000 | |||
| 34 | Win | 34–0 | Vuyani Bungu | TKO | 4 (12), | 11 Mar 2000 | |||
| 33 | Win | 33–0 | César Soto | UD | 12 | 22 Oct 1999 | |||
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | Paul Ingle | TKO | 11 (12), | 10 Apr 1999 | |||
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | Wayne McCullough | UD | 12 | 31 Oct 1998 | |||
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Wilfredo Vázquez | TKO | 7 (12), | 18 Apr 1998 | |||
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Kevin Kelley | KO | 4 (12), | 19 Dec 1997 | |||
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Jose Badillo | TKO | 7 (12), | 11 Oct 1997 | |||
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Juan Gerardo Cabrera | TKO | 2 (12), | 19 Jul 1997 | |||
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Billy Hardy | TKO | 1 (12), | 3 May 1997 | |||
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Tom Johnson | TKO | 8 (12), | 8 Feb 1997 | |||
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Remigio Molina | TKO | 2 (12) | 9 Nov 1996 | |||
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Manuel Medina | 11 (12), | 31 Aug 1996 | ||||
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Daniel Alicea | TKO | 2 (12), | 8 Jun 1996 | |||
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Said Lawal | KO | 1 (12), | 16 Mar 1996 | |||
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Steve Robinson | TKO | 8 (12), | 30 Sep 1995 | |||
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Juan Polo Perez | KO | 2 (12), | 1 Jul 1995 | |||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Enrique Angeles | KO | 2 (12) | 6 May 1995 | |||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Sergio Rafael Liendo | KO | 2 (12), | 4 Mar 1995 | |||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Armando Castro | KO | 4 (12), | 21 Jan 1995 | |||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Laureano Ramírez | TKO | 3 (12), | 19 Nov 1994 | |||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Freddy Cruz | TKO | 6 (12), | 12 Oct 1994 | |||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Antonio Picardi | TKO | 3 (12), | 17 Aug 1994 | |||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Vincenzo Belcastro | 12 | 11 May 1994 | ||||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | John Miceli | KO | 1 (10), | 9 Apr 1994 | |||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Peter Buckley | TKO | 4 (8), | 29 Jan 1994 | |||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Chris Clarkson | KO | 2 (8), | 24 Sep 1993 | |||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Kevin Jenkins | TKO | 3 (6), | 26 May 1993 | |||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Alan Ley | KO | 2 (6) | 24 Feb 1993 | |||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Peter Buckley | 6 | 12 Nov 1992 | ||||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Des Gargano | KO | 4 (6) | 7 Oct 1992 | |||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Miguel Matthews | TKO | 3 (6), | 14 Jul 1992 | |||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Andrew Bloomer | 2 (6), | 23 May 1992 | ||||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Shaun Norman | KO | 2 (6), | 25 Apr 1992 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Ricky Beard | 2 (6), | 14 Feb 1992 |
| Date | Fight | Network | Country | Viewers | Source(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naseem Hamed vs. Armando Castro | ITV | United Kingdom | 6,400,000 | [66] | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Sergio Rafael Liendo | ITV | United Kingdom | 13,000,000 | [67] | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Juan Gerardo Cabrera | Sky Sports | United Kingdom | 831,000 | [68] | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley | HBO | United States | [69] | |||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Wilfredo Vázquez | HBO | United States | [70] [71] | |||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Wayne McCullough | HBO | United States | [72] | |||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Manuel Calvo | Sky Sports | United Kingdom | 11,000,000 | |||
| Total known viewership | United Kingdom & United States | 41,604,000 |
Naseem Hamed held the pay-per-view record in the United Kingdom up until he was surpassed by Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002.
| Date | Fight | Billing | Network | Country | Buys | Revenue | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naseem Hamed vs. Remigio Molina | Judgement Night[73] | Sky Box Office | United Kingdom | 420,000[74] | £25,000,000 ($) | £ | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Tom Johnson | Night of Champions[75] | Sky Box Office | United Kingdom | 720,000 | £[76] ($) | £ ($) | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Billy Hardy | Brit Pack[77] | Sky Box Office | United Kingdom | £ ($) | £ ($) | |||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Augie Sanchez | Hamed vs. Sanchez[78] | Sky Box Office | United Kingdom | 300,000[79] | £ ($)[80] | £ ($) | ||
| Naseem Hamed vs. Marco Antonio Barrera | Playing With Fire[81] | HBO | United States | 310,000[82] | $[83] (£)[84] | $ (£) | ||
| Total known sales | 2,098,000 | £57,541,600 ($82,279,107) | £94,000,000 ($127,000,000) | |||||