23 year-old 'Prince' Naseem Hamed

ATG and massively underrated, partly due to disappearing, parting due to being too cocky, maybe part racism if we're honest

Yes he was on their level, styles and nights make fights, barrera boxed smart, if he fought a sharper Naz the way he fought Mkkinney or Jones he doesn't necessarily win, in fact I doubt it.

Morales can't sit on the back foot and counter like MAB and Marquez because it's not in his nature he'd brawl with any and everyone. He'd brawl with Naz. So who wins a brawl between Naz and Morales? Hamed certainly has the most power Morales would have faced imo

Barrera might have beat Naz, but would Naz loose to Jones and Pacquaio? I'm not so sure he would

 

If Hamed beat MAB his delusional fans would say he is greatest once he lost he wasnt prime , one of the most delusional fans out there, did MAB make him look past it, yes, why?? Because he is much better fighter than Hameed ever was...

 

:rofl Which ATG fighter run away from the sport once he lost??? SRL lost to Duran continued, Duran KTFO against Hearns continued, Ali banned for 3 years had to completely change his style but did not quit etc... Hamed lost than run away he is not ATG!!!

 

Of course MAB wasn't going to fight Hamed the same way he fought Jones or Mckinney, he wasn't a 22 year old boy any more. For some reason people find it hard to grasp even now, but MAB between 1999-2002 was a vastly superior fighter to the one that was coming through at 122lbs between 1995-1997. Not only is it fairly obvious to see from watching footage alone, but MAB proved it by going on to fight tougher and greater opponents in Morales and Hamed and producing the goods.

Could Hamed have beaten the inferior offensive-minded MAB of 96? Absolutely, and he probably would have, but he was never going to beat a more mature MAB, one that actually possessed a right hand and a plan B.

 

imho it's a myth that MAB didn't have excellent boxing skills prior to the Jones loss. Watch his early fights and they're on display from time to time, he just never thought he needed them because he could outbrawl everyone.

Powerpuncher, you are correct in that on any given night lightning could strike (like it did for Junior Jones). Anyone Hamed catches flush is in trouble. The likelyhood is pretty tiny however, and no, he was never on their level and he never could have been. Even a pre-Jones Barrera, once he felt that power, would use some caution in his attacks. Even at Hamed's supposed best he got caught and hurt by guys like Augie Sanchez. Looking at Hamed's fights once he stepped up in competition, I wouldn't give him odds against guys like McKinney, Jones, Zaragoza etc

 

Michale Spinks and Jeffries did but not many ATGs have 100million in the bank when they hit their first loss. And as your quoting the Fab5 Hagler ran away from the sport after perhaps his only legit loss against Leonard

He was a FW champion unifying all the belts and beating most of the FW division over 7 years beating around 10 champions. That in itself makes him an ATG

 

He might be due to what he's done but a low-level ATG.

He's achievements leaves a lot to be desired.

 

:yep Of course MAB didn't magically wake up one morning, go to the gym, and become a Boxer. The skills were always there. The reason they were only on display in spurts against sub-par opposition early on however is because he hadn't perfected his craft at that point. Carl Froch could look like an adequate boxer if he fought the right opponent. Still, how was MAB's right hand prior to 1999? How potent of a weapon had his jab ever been in a fight prior to 1999? There's absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever that he came on leaps and bounds as a fighter as a result of his losses to Jones, it made him and his camp reevaluate their abilities & limitations. MAB single-handedly beat the **** out of Enrique Sanchez with his right hand in 2001, and Sanchez was no worse than half of the challengers MAB faced as WBO Super Bantamweight champion. In fact, he was better than most of them. So whether you put it down to changes in technique or just attitude, doesn't matter which, MAB was a more complete fighter and harder to beat 1999-2004.

 

Also, he beat Tapia basically with the jab alone.

 

Naz was a tremendous fighter and a magnificent entertainer. :hat

 

Which he wouldn't have been capable of doing as a 22 year old baby at 122lbs.

 

And my assertion is that he would have been fully CAPABLE of it, he just wouldn't have wanted to. There's a difference between couldn't and wouldn't. He had a right hand prior to 1999, and he certainly had a very fine jab and an excellent defense when he chose to use it.

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Even against Croft you can see him switching gears, from boxer to swarmer and back again. His mistake was not respecting JJ's power and right hand. I think he would have respected Hamed's once he tasted it on his gloves.

 

I'd pretty much agree with most of that except I think he'd always have stylistic issues with Jones

I also don't think it was just a matter of improving but a matter of changed styles, post Morales Barrera was a much more conservative fighter. In some fights like Hamed it worked, against Pacquaio he was far too conservative and maybe a younger more aggressive MAB does better against Pacquaio

Oh FFS did you just say you wouldn't give Hamed odds over 38yo Zaragoza, Mkkiney and chinny Jones? And you can't have followed Hamed either if you think Sanchez was a step up because it wasn't.

Zaragoza/Mkkinney were probably at best on par with Kelly/Medina/Bungu/Vazquez/Johnson/McColough

I'd argue his potential was above that of Morales/MAB. If you just look at him from a young age he was a much different fighter, fleet footed, very hard to hit, throwing in combination, going to the body, all the skills he discarded as he got lazy just relying on his power

I don't see why people think Morales level is that amazing. Like Hamed he lost to Barrera, getting battered more than Hamed did in the process. He went life and death with Chi. He got a gift against an old Espadas. And he did about aswell as Hamed against McColough. So Morales brawls with an average guy like Chi but Hamed's going to have a problem luring him into a brawl?

BTW I suppose lightening struct twice in the same spot for Junior Jones too ehhh. Those fights weren't flukes

 

There is no **** quite like a Hamed **** eh?

 

Is that you're best responce after been making a fool of yourself Bernie? You haven't watched more than 1 Hamed fight and you didn't follow the 122/126 divisions pre-Hamed-MAB by the sounds of it, like most the forum