A peak Naz beats Marquez, Barrera and Pac Man. His reflexes and power were second to none.
A peak Naz beats Marquez, Barrera and Pac Man. His reflexes and power were second to none.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
3-Time SADDO PREDICTION COMP CHAMPION.
Naz won the featherweight title late 1995 against Steve Robinson to eventually losing to Barrera 2001 he was dominate with the occasional lapse mainly later in those years.
Naz reflexes, speed, power, unorthodox style and timing made him unify and become the best featherweight in the division.
The peak Naz would have out boxed and out worked Barrera once he realised he could not knock him out. Naz had more variety in his game early on and as his relationship deteriorated with Ingle the less he trained and more he relied on his power. Naz became one dimensional by the time he faced MAB who exposed him for that.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
Bullshit! Naz and Barrera were the same age (27) and just about peaking. Naz's unorthodox style was exposed by Barrera and once Barrera did this he went on to give Naz a boxing lesson.
I don't want to diss Naz too much because for his size he had freakish strength, and was highly popular and sought after in the Boxing World , hence topping bills in Vegas and earning shitloads of dough. And as far as British Boxers go , he is up there on the all time list.
But on a World level , and comparing to the other names you mentioned, I think you're being at best disrespectful to them and at worst downright fucking delusional!
I'm aware of the "Naz got too big for his boots , leaving Ingle" theory, but that is just an easy out.
admit it, before the Naz/Barrera fight, you had Naz as a massive favourite? this shows that he wasn't "on the slide" as much as you make out.
Barrera simply exposed him and schooled him. People at the top end of the Boxing tree knew that this was possible.
Your fucking mate, a very young Floyd was hounding Naz's connections for a fight for years , even offering to come down in weight for a catchweight contest. Because he could see that he would've tied an unorthodox Naz up in knots.
Don't take my word for it , rewatch the fight.
Former Undisputed 4 belt Prediction champion. Still P4P and People’s Champion.
Again you cite age as a factor when it is not always the case. Certain fighters peak young such as Tyson others later in life Johnny Nelson and some just fight at the top level for many years such as Hopkins.
I know Naz lost to Barrera and it was a surprise because Marco had lost to Junior Jones and Morales. Peak Naz would have had a plan B and C if required to beat Barrera. Naz was clueless in the fight so much so that it had to be down to the fact he was finished at the top level. He only fought once after that fight.
Naz beat some quality fighters in his time and to do that he had to adapt. Naz would break down his opponents bit by bit and if he could not stop them he would comprehensively out box them and win on points.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
I'm team Primo on this one
Master is fucking with you, but.......
Everyone had Naz a favourite. It was a pretty simple equation for most. Naz hit like a truck and Barrera would be happy to get in the way. Barrera flipped the script and boxed a fight most people didn't think he had in him. On the slide is maybe the wrong words to use. It generally implies that physically, what was once there is no longer. Not really the case with Naz and in particular that fight. Physically it was still there but he chose to cover it with a layer of fat which he spent the first half of training camp getting rid of. Whether or not it would have changed the course of the fight is up for debate, some serious, some tongue firmly in cheek to get a rise Whats not up for debate though, well documented. One of them prepared like a demon, one of them didn't.
The same people who knew Naz would get his arse kicked are the same people who knew Calzaghe would humiliate Lacy. Mostly liars.
Everyone wanted a piece of Naz. Roy Jones used to take out full page ads in BM on behalf of Derrick Gainer begging for a fight. Was it because they'd spotted holes in his game? Maybe. Was it because they wanted some of the Naz money? Absolutely.
When God said to the both of us "Which one of you wants to be Sugar Ray?" I guess I didnt raise my hand fast enough
Charley Burley
Not having this. "Cite age as a factor" mate, he was 27 years old. if you're saying his peak was 24, then I'm saying he never had a peak, he never fulfilled it. there is no reason why he shouldn't be at his peak at 27.
Barrera had lost to Junior Jones and Morales, but the Morales fight, a. was a classic between 2 TOP TOP fighters. and b. Many people (Me among them) thought he won. so the loss didn't take anything away from him , if anything it gave him more kudos.
The only reason he was finished at the top level was because Barrera finished him. and the only reason he only fought once more after that was because Barrera took his invincibility , his heart and his soul.
While Naz was winning , the cracks in his unorthodox style could be papered over. but once he got beat, his head was fucked. he couldn't believe that anybody could beat him , and he couldn't come back from that. This isn't meant to be a pop at Naz, but mentally he couldn't cope with losing.
This is more a pop at people like @Master , who think that when they talk about the "best in the World" that the World starts in Cornwall and ends in Newcastle!
so disrespectful to other nationalities , and not just in Boxing either.
Former Undisputed 4 belt Prediction champion. Still P4P and People’s Champion.
I'm getting shit confused, just had a look anf it was the day after my 16th birthday, I was going on the piss up town and my old man talked me into staying in to watch the fight. I thought it was Ricky Hatton that I stayed into watch on my 16th birthday.
I don't know what fight I was thinking of before, fuck me it's hard keeping track of dates and events as you get older.
Whether people like it or not, Naz at one point was considered the best featherweight in the World by anyone that counts. Whichever way you slice it he was World class elite level. It's no disrespect to echo this.
It's a very simplified synopsis of Hamed's career to say he was fine until he ran into Barrera. Anyone with half a clue could see the gloss coming off way before he got to Vegas. Barrera skilfully applied the coup de grace.
When God said to the both of us "Which one of you wants to be Sugar Ray?" I guess I didnt raise my hand fast enough
Charley Burley
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