Nearly everything I remember about Hamed is the hype and a long string of comprehensive KOs of unspectacular, but respected boxers. But on recently reviewing a few fights for the first time, anyone who could bang, anyone who could box, basically anyone with skills of any sophistication at all had him in trouble. Barrera beat him easily and were it not for Hamed's one punch KO power, Kelley would have beaten him easily too. His poor chin, allied with terrible, terrible balance at times and a wholesale lack of fundamental skills made him extremely vulnerable, for all that he could punch and be elusive against slower oppoenents. The success he did acheive, was that solely a result of stunning knock out power in either hand? If so, I can barely think of many other boxers who've acheived significant success with literally only one attribute to their name.
Speed and power. People say it a lot, "he's fast, powerful". Actually it's pretty rare to have both, genuinely have both in spades. Very few fighters do. He was one of them. It's certainly enough to make balance issues a marginal factor...give Juan Manuel Marquez his problems and you probably don't have an 8 round preliminary fighter.
He had good natural athletisism and an awkward style. Wasn't the easiest to figure out, but as good boxers proved, he wasn't the most difficult to figure out either.
He had natural talent in spades. Speed, power, reflexes, judgement of distance and sense of balance (that he often was off balanced was because of poor technique, but if not for his raw sense of balance he would have been even more off balance). He concocted his own style based on this, a style that was very flawed and limited but that he performed as well as it could be performed probably. This was enough to take him past the more average opposition, but it was always gonna come unstuck sooner or later.
Simply put because he was ****en amazing! He hit unbelievably hard, was lightening fast and was one of the most unorthodox fighters to ever step in a ring. He was a cocky ******* and a wanker but he had some talent. It's easy to say that a good fighter could figure him out but he had such power and speed that it was dangerous for an opponent to try and capitalise on an oppourtunity or an apparent opportunity. Look at his fight with McCullough on youtube (his first 12 rounder), he ****en sticks his chin out consistently, at one stage he looks away, dodges a punch and lands one on McCullough. I can literally say I've never seen that done before and he was able to do it against a 28 year old former world champion, olympic silver medallist and commonwealth games winner who was in the prime of his career and went on to give Morales the toughest fight of his career. Hamed pulled off things against the best out there that a world champion wouldn't try against a novice pro. I never liked the ****er but you have to give credit were it is due. He also had flair and charisma which attracted him to the wider public, the flying carpets, the thriller entrance, the leopard skin shorts, the rope jumps, cartwheels, somersaults, praises to Allah etc etc. He oozed confidence and once started a fight with Chris Eubank in Heathrow Airport, a ****en featherweight starting a scrap with a super middleweight world champion who had 16 world title defences. He could have gone on to become one of the best of all time but he lost the hunger and began to cut corners.
As has been said, being able to deliver genuine power at that speed is a rare thing; he was no arm-punching Calzaghe. People who question his balance tend to have only watched his later, US commentated fights where his multiple flash knock-downs were attributed to this instead of his unique stance and delivery. His individual style demanded fantastic balance.
It demands a fantastic sense of balance. But because of his lacking fundamentals he was often off balance.
Because more often than not he fought limited opposition which enabled him to have his own way. The first live fighter he fought wouldnt let him get away with it and beat him. Yes he had good punching power and pretty good reflexes but IMO didnt test himself enough against quality oppostion.
:yikes Get out of town!! Everytime he got knocked down it was because of him being off balance, there was little wrong with his whiskers. Look at the punch in the Kelley fight where hes clocked fully leaning back and he touches down. He just smirks and walks up and down the ring while getting his 8 count. Dont get me wrong it was his own fault for getting in theses messes but to say he had a poor chin is ridiculous.
