GREAT puncher....disliked so much b/c he was a total D##$he Bag... Naz has deteriorating skills when he fought Barrera...anybody should know that..
I agree , people may not like him as a person , and he was a sloppy boxer at times , but the man had absolutle super power for a featherweight
For the record Hamed quit because his hands couldn't take the punishment anymore. He complained about his hands for a few fights before the Barrera fight. The version of Nas that got beat by Barrera was far from prime, didn't put in the serious training or dedication and took the fight far too likely. And something wasn't right with Nas that night, he didn't do his flip and wasn't comfy with the gloves either Prime Nas with his power and speed is a great match for any Featherweight from any era
Naz was one of the best to ever do it. Wish he would have been a bit more committed to The Sweet Science and less to being flashy based on his gifts. Still, his wonderful showmanship at the lower weights is missed.
Hamed has gradually turned into one of the most underrated fighters in recent history.If you were to listen to some people,you'd be lead to believe that Hamed never beat one credible fighter throughout his entire career.Regardless of the fact that he beat several other world title holders and unofficially unified the featherweight division,certain revisionists would like us to believe that the first and only time Hamed fought a credible fighter,he lost. To discredit Hamed is to discredit the career defining performance of one of the finest fighters of recent memory.Hamed,in the very least,is the second greatest fighter on Barrera's resume.You take Hamed away from that resume and you're taking away a large chunk of Barrera's legacy. Hamed was an excellent fighter,a great showman,and an influential figure in the lower weight classes.Not many times will you see a featherweight earn the amount of money that he did,and receive the level of hype and mainstream interest that Hamed did. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKYHbAway-A&nofeather=True[/ame]
Spot on, not forgetting how young he was when doing all this, never close to losing a match at his best, i honestly don't care what anyone says, he was an ELITE level fighter and if you can't spot than then you don't have a clue as far as i am concerned. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaw6abj_qCQ[/ame]
If Hamed quit when he did because of his hands,then why did he choose to fight Calvo instead of seeking revenge on the man that embarrassed him,as he had done so frequently(but far more classlessly) to inferior opponents?You say hands,I say he knew he'd be exposed at the elite level.And if you are a Hamed fan,then you know that he'd been a lazy trainer for many years before the Barrera fight-an excuse that is utilized so conveniently by his supporters only in reference to the MAB fight because that was his 1st pro loss.As far as his not being right that night,of course that's true.THAT'S THE 1ST TIME HE'D EVER FOUGHT AN ELITE AND WAS NERVOUS AS ****.Ffs,Kevin Kelly is considered one of Hamed's best opponents,but was knocked out only 2 years before he fought Hamed by WHO?I've never seen a fighter for whom his supporters make so many excuses for just one loss.And no,his power and speed don't make him "a great match for anyone in history" as you claim.MAB wrote the blueprint by not being drawn in by his histrionics and boxing him in a disciplined manner.He took Hamed out of his comfort zone by not fighting Hamed's fight.Hamed had power,speed and reflexes-which work against easy to psych out fighters that aren't so technically sound and are easily induced into Hamed's style of fight like Kelly.But Hamed was undisciplined,wild,fundamentally and technically unsound and always off-balance.Quite honestly,he was one-dimentional and had a low boxing IQ.THAT'S why MAB beat him so impressively.JMM and EM would have done the same to him.I laugh out loud pondering how easily great technicians like Sanchez,Arguello and Nelson would have outboxed him.:good
Here's a fact for you.In order to be considered an elite,you have to beat one.The only elite Hamed fought,boxed his prodigeous ears off and embarrassed him as Hamed used to embarrass his inferior opponents(although Hamed was far more classless).THOSE ARE FACTS.
Hamed fought some decent fighters in his career,but none as good as Morales,Pacquiao and JMM,3 fighters on Barrera's list of opponents that were better than Hamed was.
Naz was a very good boxer, exciting and a real showman - I always enjoyed watching his fights. But, let's get real here - he came up short at the elite level and no amount of excuses will change that fact. I laughed at what someone said about Naz being a match for the top guys in any era Seriously, deluded!:nut
Funny you mention the Kelly fight because he's considered one of Hamed's best opponents even though Kelly had been ko'd only a couple of years before the Hamed fight by someone whose name escapes me.