Thread: Naz deserves HOF election. Fact. (great tribute)

Don't worry, i'm not gonna upset anyone by exposing the truth about why the great Juan Manuel Marquez ducked Naz. And why getting knocked unconcious inside three rounds wouldn't have hurt his greatness. Some people can handle the truth some people can't. We'll leave it there....


Great tribute by Fat Dan Rafael. Although he should have ended with a - Whoomp there it is!!!

I've lost track of the number of years in a row that I have voted for former featherweight champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed on my International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot. But, once again, I have put pen to paper to cast my vote for Hamed, whose exclusion thus far is a disgrace.

England's Hamed boxed professionally for almost exactly 10 years (April 1992 to May 2002) and spent about seven years at the very top of the sport, where he not only knocked out most opponents but did so in devastating fashion and became one of the biggest stars in the sport. The guy sold out arenas before his opponent was even named.

But Naz was about more than commercial success, with his flashy ring walks -- the best in the business! -- flip over the top rope and big mouth. Yes, his outlandish trash talk and arrogant attitude rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but it's what happened between the ropes that counts most.

I'll get to that in a minute but outside the ring he totally changed the economic landscape of boxing in terms of the smaller weight classes. Hamed, who left the comforts of home to fight five times in America, ushered in a golden age of featherweights and made it normal for the best in and around that division to reap seven-figure paydays. Fighters such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, among others, should give thanks to Hamed for making their giant purses possible because of the way he broke through.

In the ring, not only did Hamed have tremendous punching power -- in 2003, Ring magazine listed him 46th on its top 100 hardest punchers in boxing history -- he also compiled a terrific record (36-1, 31 KOs), was regarded as the world's No. 1 featherweight for several years, was high on most pound-for-pound lists and went 10-1 with eight knockouts against titleholders and Hall of Famers.

Yet way too many people who are clueless about the rest of his career hold his one defeat, a decision to three-division world champion Barrera, himself a sure-fire Hall of Famer when he is eligible, against him. That is unfair. It's not like he lost to a bum or even got knocked out. He lost a decision to an all-time great in 2001 and then fought just once more.

His career is about a helluva lot more than one bad night in Las Vegas. It's way more about all the thrilling nights and big wins and knockouts before that.

On the way up he won the European bantamweight title in his 12th fight, made one defense and then moved up to junior featherweight. In 1995, in his first fight at featherweight, he stopped Steve Robinson, a very credible fighter, in the eighth round to win his first world title.

That was the beginning of a run in which he should have been the first fighter in the era of four alphabet titles to hold them all simultaneously. However, boxing politics often actively work against that, so he had to settle for twice unifying titles. But he defeated each of the titleholders: Robinson, Tom Johnson (TKO8 to unify two belts before being stripped of one) and Cesar Soto (W12 in another unification fight). He also beat Vazquez Sr. (TKO7) in what should have been a unification bout but Vazquez had been stripped of his version of the title for agreeing to fight Hamed.

Other quality fighters, all former or future titleholders, Hamed beat convincingly were Kevin Kelley -- their electrifying 1997 fight at Madison Square Garden in Hamed's unforgettable American debut was one of the most exciting fights of the decade -- Wayne McCullough, Paul Ingle, Vuyani Bungu and Manuel Medina.

Overall, Hamed defended his WBO version of the title 15 times and held the lineal 126-pound world championship for three years while bringing extraordinary excitement and showmanship to a small weight class that had never seen the infusion of money it enjoyed during Hamed's heyday. In all, Hamed was 16-1 with 14 KOs in alphabet or lineal world title fights, which stacks up with or exceeds the resumes of many Hall of Famers.

It is time for the "Prince" to take his rightful place in the Canastota, New York, shrine.

Prince Naseem Hamed deserves HOF election - ESPN

there will never be another

I'm not bothered about his credentials as a HoFer, if it happens it happens if it don't it don't.
As far as Naz goes, He had a great career, made a shit load of money , but the fact of the matter is that when he fought a top drawer fighter , he was exposed, schooled and could not get over it. Once the aura was gone , it was gone, not dissimilar to Tyson really. Tyson carried on after his aura was smashed and his legacy (and his personal life in general) suffered for it.
Sometimes , Greatness is about how you come back from defeats or setbacks (Ali for example) and showing the "Cojones" to do so. He couldn't do that and couldn't find the motivation to do it.

I agree re Naz shortcomings but you can't deny what he did for boxing - especially for a lower weight category.


When you look at some of the people who have got in there's no way he shouldn't get in

He should get in on the first call. Even if you cant stand him. He brought 126 into the limelight and was also one hell of a fighter.

One of a kind fighter, had a great run on top for several years and his only loss came against an ATG HOFer in Barrera. He had an amazing kick of the can, HOF for sure IMO.

He is a lot better then most of the guys in there already. He was entertaining and tough as nails. He had a bad night at the office and people never seem to let him live that down.

He deserves to be in the HoF for beating ____________.

Complete and discuss.
To be fair, there are a lot of undeserving people in the HoF.

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.” – Frank Warren]


"I had hand trouble and could not take the power of my punch," Hamed said. "I needed cortisone injections to take away the pain when I fought, then after every fight the gloves would be whipped off and my hands would be as big as balloons." - Prince Naseem Hamed

“... with his unique, unorthodox, frankly crazy style of boxing, his speed, reflexes and bone crushing power, and the way in which he took the boxing world as a young bright eyed swaggering kid, ruled his division for years, and was a verifiable icon for confidence-crisis suffering kids the world over, Naseem Hamed was a personal childhood hero, the most talented fighter I have ever seen, the most accomplished young fighter ever, and the fact that he retired somewhat prematurely aged 28 should not detract from the golden memories he gave us in the relatively short time he did compete”.- Daniel Fletcher




Let’s cut right to the chase. This unorthodox, flashy and supremely talented southpaw, born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, should be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame forthwith.


With a final record of 36-1, he was the WBO, WBC, IBF, and Lineal featherweight champion, and European bantamweight champion. He also knocked out Wilfredo Vazquez who had just been stripped of the WBA title prior to their fight. He also won a number of regional and international titles. Daniel Fletcher describes his dominance best in a lengthy and compelling article dated May 18, 2012 on FIGHTSPORTASIA The Most Talented Fighter Ever: Requiem for Naseem; 10yr Anniversary of The Day The Boxing Died | FSA - FightSport Asia



“… at the end of the day, let it never be doubted that beyond the show and “unfulfilled potential”, Prince Naseem Hamed still accomplished a remarkable decade-long ledger in the sport to go along with his talent, and it reads as follows:



* European Bantamweight champion (1994)
*WBC International Super-Bantamweight champion (1994-95)
*WBO World Featherweight champion (1995-2001 – 15 defences)
*IBF World Featherweight champion (1997 – 2 defences)
*WBC World Featherweight champion (1999)
*Lineal WBA World Featherweight champion 1998 – WBA stripped Wilfredo Vazquez prior to his bout with Naseem
*Lineal World Featherweight champion (with Vazquez win – 5 “defences”)
*IBO World Featherweight champion (2002)
*36 wins, 1 loss (31 knockouts)
*17 world championship wins
*10 world champion opponents beaten


“In short, he dominated the featherweight division for six years, winning 17 world championship fights against 10 world champion opponents, and he unified all the titles. That dominance against tough opposition should count heavily when evaluating his candidacy for nomination into the Hall.

With swagger, style, and showmanship aplenty, Hamed was known for his many spectacular ring entrances and flashy showboating. Not unlike the late Hector “Macho: Camacho, his boxing antics made him the new poster-boy for lighter-weight boxers and his extraordinary charisma attracted large numbers of fans, but despite the flash, there was plenty of substance. He was a very talented, skilled, and had sledgehammer power (with an impressive 83.78 KO percentage) who scored spectacular highlight reel knockouts. Here is a highlight video:

As for his ring entrances, this video captures them in their full splendor:


Among his victims were Paul Ingle (21-0), Cesar Soto (54-7-2), Vuyani Bungu (37-2), Wayne McCullough (22-1), Wilfredo Vazquez (50-7-2), Kevin Kelley (47-1-2) in a classic 1997 shootout that feature multiple knockdowns in Madison Square Garden, Tom Johnson (44-2), and the always game Manuel Medina (52-7).

He successfully defended his WBO title for the fifteenth and final time in August 2000 against Augie “Kid Vegas” Sanchez (26-1) at Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut with a devastating fourth round knockout. In this one (which I saw live), Hamed seemed to have come down from above on a Flying Carpet as he landed the final KO punch flush. It was a concussive, sudden, and very scary ending to what had been a surprisingly competitive bout. Sanchez remained prone on the canvas for several minutes before he was placed in a neck brace, given oxygen, and removed from the ring on a stretcher. The chief ringside physician, the esteemed Dr. Michael Schwartz, believed that he had suffered a concussion, and he was taken to nearby Backus Medical Hospital where he remained overnight. "Sanchez was very lethargic and slow to respond to commands," Dr. Schwartz said. "He was talking with slurred speech. His pupils were sluggish." It was altogether a tense scene.

The main thing is I wish that Allah makes him nice and safe and there's nothing wrong with him at all," Hamed said after the fight.

Hamed broke his hand in the bout, and following surgery he spent six months out of the gym, gaining 35 pounds in weight. He then signed to for a much-anticipated Superlight with long-time rival Marco Antonio Barrera (52-3) in April 2001, but some said his performance against Sanchez in the early rounds suggested something was amiss. At any rate, he lost to Barrera by scores of 111-116, 112-115, and 112-115.


In an interview after the Barrera shocker, a candid Hamed stated that he regretted taking the fight, due to his inactivity and weight gain, and that he felt drained going in. Despite the poor preparation for the fight, he admitted complacency also had set in and that he never envisaged getting beaten, and added the multimillion dollar offer from HBO was also a motivating factor for taking the fight. But for all practical purposes this was the end of his boxing career, though he did beat Spaniard Manuel Calvo (33-4-1) a year later. Calvo had split a pair with Steve Robinson and had some chops. Again, Daniel Fletcher sums it up nicely, albeit with a tad of bias:

“The more sensible train of thought is that his long known dislike of training camps (as stated by the Prince) and greater dislike of being away from his family (ditto) combined with the gross sum of wealth he accumulated throughout his career, the fact his invincible aura and spot at the top had gone and his “day was done” as he may have sensed, combined with chronic hand injuries and tendinitis, not to mention the frankly disgusting reaction to his solid comeback after his first (and only) loss after 13 months out of the ring, against Calvo, all factored into Naseem Hamed’s decision to never re-enter the gladiatorial ring via somersault ever again.”

Later, after his retirement, Prince Naseem was stripped of his MBE after being jailed over a high-speed crash in his sports car, which left the person in the other car with fractures to every major bone in his body. The crash happened in May 2005, and the honour was removed in 2007 - nine years after he received it.


This perhaps may have played some sublime and/or indirect role in his not being inducted into the Hall, but if it did, then many others should not be in as well. Another reason might be that his career ended prematurely (at the young age of 2 with unfilled potential in the eyes of many.

Since leaving the sport and being inactive for the best part of 10 years Prince has recently founded a sports management company with Clive Richardson, Questa Talent Championships.


Says Daniel Fletcher, “...some stars are so bright they burn out fast, rather than fading away slowly. In this case, while it still hurts that it did, one must be thankful that we saw the star at all.”

It’s time for The Prince to be inducted into the IBHOF.

The above was written by Ted Sares earlier this year on another UK site

Ingle fighters are hard to beat, Naz when he was with Brendan was a great fighter, in the ring
he was great, pity outside the ring he was a cock.
He may well deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame, but as yet he has been over looked.

Originally Posted by Dia bando

Ingle fighters are hard to beat, Naz when he was with Brendan was a great fighter, in the ring
he was great, pity outside the ring he was a cock.
He may well deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame, but as yet he has been over looked.

True but if the guys were judged by their behavior outside the ring, half would not be in there. Look at Tyson and Monzon as prime examples. It's what they do inside that should count but in this PC world, it might not count as much as it should.

Naz beat solid competition during his prime, and even after he started to slip out of his prime. Tom Johnson was a good, solid fighter and he couldn't get ANYTHING done vs Naz. I often wonder how his fight vs Barerra would have turned out had he not gotten complacent and lazy. When the guy used his jab and gifts appropriately, he was very tough to deal with. Great fighter... Just lazy towards the end in my opinion.

Originally Posted by holmcall

Originally Posted by Dia bando

Ingle fighters are hard to beat, Naz when he was with Brendan was a great fighter, in the ring
he was great, pity outside the ring he was a cock.
He may well deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame, but as yet he has been over looked.

True but if the guys were judged by their behavior outside the ring, half would not be in there. Look at Tyson and Monzon as prime examples. It's what they do inside that should count but in this PC world, it might not count as much as it should.

I don't live in the PC world, just saying the guys a twat out of the ring they may be boxing hero's but
a cunt is a cunt mate.

Originally Posted by Dia bando

Originally Posted by holmcall

Originally Posted by Dia bando

Ingle fighters are hard to beat, Naz when he was with Brendan was a great fighter, in the ring
he was great, pity outside the ring he was a cock.
He may well deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame, but as yet he has been over looked.

True but if the guys were judged by their behavior outside the ring, half would not be in there. Look at Tyson and Monzon as prime examples. It's what they do inside that should count but in this PC world, it might not count as much as it should.

I don't live in the PC world, just saying the guys a twat out of the ring they may be boxing hero's but
a cunt is a cunt mate.

Yes I hate Hamed also.

Originally Posted by mikeeod

Naz beat solid competition during his prime, and even after he started to slip out of his prime. Tom Johnson was a good, solid fighter and he couldn't get ANYTHING done vs Naz. I often wonder how his fight vs Barerra would have turned out had he not gotten complacent and lazy. When the guy used his jab and gifts appropriately, he was very tough to deal with. Great fighter... Just lazy towards the end in my opinion.

He admits he hated to train and was lazy. Look at him now. He is obese. He is as fat as Fat Dan.