Why Naz retired

[generalbulldog]

I have no idea if Naz tried and failed to get a rematch. This was just a forum post from some guy?

I always just figured that, like the guy in your av, he had a good run, lost to an ATG, and decided to get out while the getting was good.

Yeah, was just on the BBC bocxing forum, no idea quite what the guy was on. As far as I know from over the years, Naz simply lost interest.Maybe he knew he just got found out at the highest level, who really knows but him. I'm sure if he pushed at the time he could have had a rematch.

Do you reckon that Hagler didn't want the rematch or did he really figure he wouldn't get it, again so many conflicting stories.

The reality is Hagler probably would have got it, but he spent too much time after the fight bad-mouthing Leonard, implying he'd bribed the judges & so forth that it created a real sour point between them. The Four Kings book, written by a journalist most associated with Hagler, pretty much details all of this.

They were basically primed for a rematch, but Leonard got pissed off with him & didn't want to give him the payday, whilst Hagler seemed to almost revel in the conspiracy theory of it. Personally, I thought Leonard just edged it, although could easily go the other way, but I never understand how it got labelled a 'robbery'.

It wasn't a robbery but one of the judges scored it 118-110 for Leonard. Meaning that Leonard won 10/12 rounds on 1 score card. So of course with that kind of scoring from 1 of the judges it will be labeled a robbery from some fans. It was indeed a very close fight and could have went either way.

[THE THIRD MAN]

Hamed retired because he discovered he had a heart the size of a pea, and now a stomach the size of Butterbean's!
He received a reality check from Barrera and knew he couldn't win a rematch and would never beat Morales either.
His deflated ego couldn't handle the fact he just wasn't good enough!!
He was entertaining and probably was a good boxer, but never an elite one.
I have much more respect for fighters who comeback from defeat better than they were, than fighters like Hamed who just wimped out, took his bat and ball, went home and pondered what might have been!

[jamiebhoy]

Hamed retired because he discovered he had a heart the size of a pea, and now a stomach the size of Butterbean's!
He received a reality check from Barrera and knew he couldn't win a rematch and would never beat Morales either.
His deflated ego couldn't handle the fact he just wasn't good enough!!
He was entertaining and probably was a good boxer, but never an elite one.
I have much more respect for fighters who comeback from defeat better than they were, than fighters like Hamed who just wimped out, took his bat and ball, went home and pondered what might have been!

Did Naz ever actually say he was retired, maybe he's on a break like an episode of Friends.

[Majesty]

Hamed retired because he discovered he had a heart the size of a pea, and now a stomach the size of Butterbean's!
He received a reality check from Barrera and knew he couldn't win a rematch and would never beat Morales either.
His deflated ego couldn't handle the fact he just wasn't good enough!!
He was entertaining and probably was a good boxer, but never an elite one.
I have much more respect for fighters who comeback from defeat better than they were, than fighters like Hamed who just wimped out, took his bat and ball, went home and pondered what might have been!

could have been worse, he could have stuck around and gotten knocked out in the second round within his next fight

[TheMacMagician]

Boxing needs showmen and exciting everything from the ring entrance to the power punch, and at the moment, if I could bring Naz back to life like he was, that would be a very fine thing indeed, even if it were to see him get his arse smacked by barrera again.

On the other side of things, I read something interesting from Chris Eubank a while back. He gave Naz a piece of advice once, saying something like" you need to train your body to accept punishment if you are to win the hardest fights" and Naz's response to this was "no way, ain't nobody gonna be hitting me". ha. How wrong he was.

[littlebif]

I read the other day that he retired cause he had bad hands and could'nt puch so hard,i'll try to find it.

[littlebif]

Naseem Hamed Reveals The "Real Reason" He Retired - Boxing News where he says he couldnt punch as hard!

[Saddo]

IMHO he retired for a number of reasons.....

1: what happened to Paul Ingle effected him
2: 9/11 think about it
3: got a new wife and kid see 1:
4: hated training
5: multi millionare
6: the fans would'nt buy the mis matches after his 0 had gone.

thats my opinion anyways

[Snakefist Ar Fu]

When I think of great fighters Naz is the last person to enter my mind. The thing he loved most about boxing was himself. I must admit I loved to watch him fight, he was slick and powerful.
The problem I have with him is he was full of himself which was ok untill he lost for once giving him the opportunity to back up his greatness. But what does he do... He goes home all upset and drowns his sorrows with his best friend Mr Cake.

[Doot]

he did comeback after his loss he went up against manuel calvo, he got boo'd by everyone and had things thrown at him, I think that had a part of him not returning to the ring also.

[Master]

Naz was at his best when unifying the featherweight titles beating Tom Johnson et al. After that he started slipping getting knocked down and being wobbled Kevin Kelly. MAB beat the Naz on the slide, it would have been a lot closer fighter earlier on when he did not split up with Ingle and took the sport more seriously.

[denilson200]

Hamed retired because he discovered he had a heart the size of a pea, and now a stomach the size of Butterbean's!
He received a reality check from Barrera and knew he couldn't win a rematch and would never beat Morales either.
His deflated ego couldn't handle the fact he just wasn't good enough!!
He was entertaining and probably was a good boxer, but never an elite one.
I have much more respect for fighters who comeback from defeat better than they were, than fighters like Hamed who just wimped out, took his bat and ball, went home and pondered what might have been!

Good point. I see Hamed, like a big serving tennis player. Sure it may win him a lot of matches and even a few tournaments, here and there, but he won't consistently be able to compete for top honours or aganist top players (Federer, Nadal) because he just doesn't have the all round game to do so. Hameds power papered over basic ring flaws which were exposed by Barrera. He is WAY down on my list, not because he lost. There is NO disgrace in losing to M.A.B at his peak, but the fact that he never came back, never asked for a rematch, just took his lose and left. Someone said he's same level as Zab Judah. I would put him lower than that. After all Judah has faced Tyusu, Cotto and Maywether to name but a few. I think Jorge Paez would be a good comparison for Hamed.

[THE THIRD MAN]

Hamed retired because he discovered he had a heart the size of a pea, and now a stomach the size of Butterbean's!
He received a reality check from Barrera and knew he couldn't win a rematch and would never beat Morales either.
His deflated ego couldn't handle the fact he just wasn't good enough!!
He was entertaining and probably was a good boxer, but never an elite one.
I have much more respect for fighters who comeback from defeat better than they were, than fighters like Hamed who just wimped out, took his bat and ball, went home and pondered what might have been!

Good point. I see Hamed, like a big serving tennis player. Sure it may win him a lot of matches and even a few tournaments, here and there, but he won't consistently be able to compete for top honours or aganist top players (Federer, Nadal) because he just doesn't have the all round game to do so. Hameds power papered over basic ring flaws which were exposed by Barrera. He is WAY down on my list, not because he lost. There is NO disgrace in losing to M.A.B at his peak, but the fact that he never came back, never asked for a rematch, just took his lose and left. Someone said he's same level as Zab Judah. I would put him lower than that. After all Judah has faced Tyusu, Cotto and Maywether to name but a few. I think Jorge Paez would be a good comparison for Hamed.

I give Judah a lot of credit in facing the best there is and continually fighting at an elite level, he didn't always win but he did at one time become undisputed Welterweight champion of the World. Hamed failed to respond to a ego crushing defeat and didn't even try to redeem himself, he was the Prince who turned back into a toad!

[Spicoli]

The novelty had worn thin.How a guy comes back from adversity speaks volumes.Hamed was a mute.