Naseem Hamed Career Recap

Fan film by me here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9_pCq8aF38&t=157s

People forget he was picked by 28 out of 30 fight writers going into the Barrera fight, he would also have been hugely favoured over Marquez if they had fought.

For me he is a figure who was probably over rated at the time of his peak and has since become under rated.

He didn't beat anyone in the P4P top 10 at the time of the fight but he head beat Tom Johnson who would probably have been ranked about 11-15 and Kevin Kelley and Vuyani Bungu who at the time would have probably been ranked about 16-20.

One of the most interesting and exciting styles of his era. On a personal level a total asshole though obviously.

How do you think he would have matched up with the fighters who he didn't face Marquez, Morrales and Pacquiao (came a couple of years later, narrow miss) and the best of this generation Lomachenko?

Do you enjoy causing conflict on these boards?

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Originally Posted by Master

Do you enjoy causing conflict on these boards?

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Yes.

He would never have beaten Floyd.

He has the power to knock anyone out but I think Pac might have been too busy for him..mmmm...not sure.

Marquez..yes.

It is a well-known fact and established on saddo that Marquez avoided Naz by not really trying to face the dangerous and peak Naz.

Floyd was no body at the time and was at the higher weight which Naz did not want to move up to.

By the time Naz had fought MAB he was past his best, burnt out like a bright star, and fell out of love with boxing.

Naz was the best at featherweight and unified the majority of the major belts but was steadily declining and getting knocked down.
I think they would have been good matches against Marquez, Morales and Pacquiao.

It would have been very interesting how Lomachenko would have handled that style from Naz. Think he could have knocked them all out.

You know I bumped into Hamed last Thursday on my lunch hour.

Just walking along and there he was - no one else recognised him so i just went up to him and engaged in conversation.

I did mention to him that he never officially retired and he just smiled and said "no I haven't" and then I got a chuckle when I asked him why he never gave Said Lawal a rematch.

I also took my first ever celebrity selfie and fucked it up big time as had the flash on and my eyes closed - I look like I'm on drugs.

Always felt short changed by his career the way he walked away but it was fun while it lasted. I did pick Barrera to beat him at the time of the fight (by late KO mind) but that was on the old Naz board where some of us met. He went in expecting to knock out MAB early which was stupid given MAB's credentials.

Excellent research/video with an unbiased narrative. How refreshing to see sensible modern fans note the truth about Marquez turning down career high paydays. (:D - where's CutMeMick and VD at? And no Tito, don't even bother)

Wilfredo Vazquez was the lineal champion, for what it's worth.

Naz wouldn't have beat Floyd or Loma (they're too good and big), he might have beat Morales (Manny Steward sure thought so), Marquez and Pac of the late 90s. However, he subsequently can't hold a candle to any for overall career.

Mark, nice line about Lawal, he must have thought superfan.... where's the fuzz.

Naz was hugely entertaining, he managed to combine the unorthodox and elusive Wincobank style with truly crushing power. The guy could really hit.

He was a genuine entertainer, and sold himself as the 'arrogant baddy', much like a young Cassius Clay.

lit up the featherweight division, and would always have a puncher's chance against anyone. He lost a lot of his technical grounding later on, and got schooled by Barrera (no shame in that), and retired with his money and his marbles intact.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

Excellent research/video with an unbiased narrative. How refreshing to see sensible modern fans note the truth about Marquez turning down career high paydays. (:D - where's CutMeMick and VD at? And no Tito, don't even bother)

Wilfredo Vazquez was the lineal champion, for what it's worth.

Naz wouldn't have beat Floyd or Loma (they're too good and big), he might have beat Morales (Manny Steward sure thought so), Marquez and Pac of the late 90s. However, he subsequently can't hold a candle to any for overall career.

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Nahh... don't worry Fenster. I'm hearing it from several sides now so... if you guys have some inside info that JMM ducked Naz... who am I to object? Besides, according to you I'm anti-Mexican so by all accounts I should have joined your chorus a long time ago, right? ::D: In any case, I've never bumped into Marquez, so I can't ask him for myself whether it's true that he ducked Naz.

About Naz, all credit to him and the excitement he brought to boxing for a while. He beat our highly regarded champion Wilfredo Vazquez and... even though Vazquez was on the decline at the time (38 yrs old)... Naz would still have beaten him at their peaks. However... he did have an annoying personality... and subsequently his humiliation at the hands of MAB made me a Barrera fan for life. Yes.... even though he's Mexican. :;):

It wasn't the case of a "declining" Naz. It was a case of a foolishly underestimated Barrera who did his job and knocked whatever desire there was out of Naz.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

Mark, nice line about Lawal, he must have thought superfan.... where's the fuzz.

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Only really remember his name because he was on the deck before the camera had zoomed in from the distance shot at the opening bell.

Entertaining guy, should have had the fortitude to give fighting an elite another try. Since he didn’t we have to just judge him on what he actually did. He was on top for 6 years, that’s damn impressive. You have to put him behind the greats because the greats did great things. But as far as rating someone who didn’t do great things he should be right at the top. Let’s call him an eye test great.

Mark did he ask for half of your sandwich? Honestly he was built to loathe over here but the funny thing is once you start ironing out guys with the suddenness of a speeding bullet train respect is earned and fans tune in. The Kelly and Sanchez fights were time capsule classics as was the gate crashing he did on Daniel Alecia. No idea where the idea of Kelly just being ranked 16-20 comes from???. On the flip side the Soto mess should have every copy burned. Up there or not I still think he and like minds were pretty duped by Barrera who went in playing up the looking for the ko face first aggression angle just to go in and put on a total masterpiece. Glad for Hamed he never went the comeback route, not many with that type of impact and committed fanfare walk away clean under 30.

I'd already eaten it luckily as I've no doubt he'd have eaten the lot. He's so big you can't believe its the same guy.

No wonder no one recognised him

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

No idea where the idea of Kelly just being ranked 16-20 comes from???.

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Well he wasn’t ranked in the P4P top 10 going in according to the records I can find. Where would you have ranked him? I would have though being ranked in the P4P top 20 is still quite a compliment.

he was the best!

he brought worldwide attention to the lighter weights

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Originally Posted by Stuart___

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Originally Posted by Spicoli

No idea where the idea of Kelly just being ranked 16-20 comes from???.

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Well he wasn’t ranked in the P4P top 10 going in according to the records I can find. Where would you have ranked him? I would have though being ranked in the P4P top 20 is still quite a compliment.

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If we're talking p4p fighters of the late 90's I wouldn't think he cracks the 16-20. Pp4 is regarding the entire sport yeh? Now division wise I think he was definitely in top 4-3 come fight night. Below a Espinosa but maybe a notch above Wilfredo Vazquez off of the Rios fight. The p4p top ranks of late 90's read like a who's who for the HOF. Jones Jr, De La Hoya, Whitaker, Trinidad, Lopez.

Naz v Pac Man is on this months Ring Magazine cover, he would have loved that for his ego.

https://www.newsstand.co.uk/i2643077...ING_DEC-19.jpg

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Originally Posted by TIC

he brought worldwide attention to the lighter weights

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Maybe among casuals, TIC. Way before Naz, the boxing world was more than fully aware of guys like Wilfredo Gomez, Carlos Zarate, Salvador Sanchez, Alexis Arguello, etc.