Read an article somewhere, I don't remember, that said no-one in the history of boxing below 10st 7lb (147) punched as hard as Naseem Hamed, any truth in this? I'm not sure this is the case. Let's throw it open to you guys...
before he hurt his hands, I would say yes. The prince had so much power he would knock guys out even with the punch not landing properly. Thats why when you see Fat old Hamed don't **** with the prince, power is the last thing to go.
Plenty of guys probably did...Naz wasnt even a massive featherweight and he has 3 whole divisions packed with great fighters between him and welter..including the most talent rich division of all time in the lightweight divvy. There is really no way to be definitive on this and frankly I just think it isnt true anyway. But without a doubt he was one of the heaviest punchers to ever lace them up at featherweight..Probably only a handful of guys like Lopez and Saddler for instance, that hit harder then he did at 126.
Hamed was 5ft 3inches tall, and failed to stop Manuel Calvo and Cesar Soto (at his prime weight) amongst others. Do you think he hit harder than welterweights or junior-welterweights with high KO percentages? End thread.
Er, that's quite a claim there. Doubt it, to be honest. Hamed WAS a big puncher, though. Reminds me of this fight he had, which ended in three punches: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXQ6kLhPyz0[/ame]
I think Ruben Olivares hit harder for one P4P. There's others aswell. Not to say that Hamed couldn't punch, that would be ridiculous to say. The guy hit like a truck.
Its all he had actually, along with mind games and confidence. How he kayoed guys while out of balanced defied the laws of physics. In the end he probably did not hit harder then well position boxer/puncher but he would catch the guy with hard shots while he looked vunerable. He was a phenom while he had is mojo going, gave fans losts of exiting moments.
Hes certainly one of the biggest punchers at that weight. Just because you dont knock out everyone doesnt detract from his ability as a puncher. Mike Tyson failed to knockout guys who had been previously knocked out and he was certainly considered a big puncher at heavyweight.
Hamed is P4P one of hardest one-shot punchers in the history of the sport. Where he ranks on that list is highly subjective, and therefore its not a list worth making.
Not only that, but Calvo was the very last fight of his career, when he was in his worst form, physically and (more importantly) mentally. Was right after the Barrera disaster. Odd to include that.