Hamed vs Robinson

He was a truly special fighter, freakish power and it's a shame he couldn't stay dedicated when it mattered most.

 

That was Hamed in his prime. Its a pity he wasnt in this form for very long

 

For me it was the fight that Hamed's eventual failure to meet his full potential could be traced back to. My reasoning? At the time Hamed was still a natural bantamweight but his promoter manipulated him into the safe WBO route. I disagree that the the 21-year-old Barrera of 1998 would have beaten the Hamed of 1995. Maybe the Barrera of 2001 would have beaten any version of Hamed, but had Hamed stayed at bantam/super-bantam as long as his body allowed, he may never have fought the more seasoned and polished fighter Barrera became. Instead of merely a "good" featherweight champion, I think he'd have been a genuine great bantam/super-bantam champ, and then a good feather. Alas...

 

Magic performance,Hamed's was at his best from 95-97..

 

Yep, Naz was good but that poor chin tuck, switching hitting and horrific balance is a bad look against the likes of Barrera, Morales, Marquez et al. No matter what shape he's in, he loses to MAB every day of the week and twice on sunday, he has a punchers chance with El Terrible but thats because even though Erik is more talented then Barrera with better footwork and technique he is so damn emotional there's a chance he brawls with Hamed or at least fights the wrong fight in spots.

 

That was a great performance from Naz although I thought the way he taunted Robinson during the fight was very disrespectful, although he did this to most so there was nothing new there...:yep

With regards to Marco Antonio Barrera, if Naz boxed him 100 times he would lose 100 times, sometimes some fighters just have your number, MAB v Naz is a perfect example of this...:good

 

I wondered how long it'd take to get around to Barrera.

 

Robinson was not very good in truth and Hamed is very over rated.

 

That's a comment at both ends of the arguement...:think

An explanation of why Robinson was not good and why Naz was overated would be useful...:yep

 

I still think Hamed is one of the most talented fighters I've ever seen in the ring. In his younger days he was stunning to watch. Maybe a lot of it was smoke and mirrors due to his flashy style and opponent selection, but he also genuinely had superb gifts. Some top speed, reflexes, upper body flexibility, natural sense for countering, toughness, and of course the famous power. Watching him against Robinson was like watching a cat toying with a mouse...quite cruel, really, but you had to marvel at Hamed's abilities. I think it's pretty easy to see the gap between the fighter he was then and the guy that faced Barrera years afterward.

Still, that version of Barrera is always at the stylistic advantage. Barrera was just brilliant on that night, particularly with his jab, movement, and the way his combinations flowed. A prime Hamed would have looked less silly, and would have had more chance to land a big bomb, but Barrera would still have to be the favourite.

 

I was at this fight and Hamed was a clear level above our Steve that night , Brilliant display Simply outstanding .