Did Naz know Barrera would be his last?

Rich, eating/training problem, bad hands.

 

His finances were in a very strong position, and he realized that he didn't have the hunger any more.

He therefore decided to get out of the game, and enjoy his life.

 

He was embarrassed and wasn't going to improve at that stage of his career. The style he developed with Ingle lent itself to a shooting-star trajectory and he was already past the zenith. There were going to be additional MAB-ings in his future unless he cherry-picked, and he probably felt that was beneath him.

 

Did he ever officially announce that he was retiring?

 

I think he was somebody that was VERY self-conscious of his image. You can't underestimate what a blow to his ego it was to not just taste defeat at last after having been nothing but victorious for so long (and for much of that stretch not breaking a sweat and barely meeting any challenges) but to be so thoroughly emasculated as he was, outclassed and made to swallow his pride for all the world to see by a guy that, while having already spent a few years on a noticeable incline of technical skill and stylistic reinvention, was still not that far removed from being considered a Mexican archetype, not somebody you'd expect would comprehensively outbox & light up a slippery athletic specimen like Hamed. Even if he ducked a Barrera rematch, and spent the rest of his career avoiding match-ups that would put him at risk of similar humiliation, the miniature RJJ illusion had been shattered. The idea - shared by the fans and Naz himself - that he could skate on pure athleticism even against top fighters was gone. I'm not sure it was clarity and foresight as much as hating the way it felt to be so exposed, enough that whatever joy the sport once brought him turned into ashes in his mouth and left him not wanting anymore.

 

He lost his edge made lots of money got rid of the Ingles started training less started using his power to bale himself out of trouble .the rot had started a few fights before his brothers started running the show .He never reached his true potential at bantam and feather weight his power was awesome genuine one shot power coupled with speed awkwardness and strength .like Camacho with power pity he couldn't stay focused burnt bright not long.

 

I actually know somebody who met him on at the Hajj in Mecca.

He asked him precisely this question, as tactfully as possible.

He replied:

I just looked at my bank balance mate!

He was actually making more money than any other fighter in the world, apart from Evander Holyfield!

 

It was the layoff after the barerra humiliation and beating that ruined him.....

His ego was shattered he realised he wasnt anywhere near as good as he used to be


He realised there was no more ways around having to meet your barerra"s,morales,coralles,marquez,casamayors,mayweathers and corrales,mosley,tapia,ayala,freitas, tyzu.....this guy who boasted he would win titles up to 168...now had nowhere to run...all around him was a log jam of good to great champions.....hamed himself was just a good champion in a division that had been very weak from 1991 all the way up to 1998....inferior guys like johnson,Robinson,medina,vasquez,kelley were not a problem for hamed...all good b level champs but not A list... he probably realised he earned more than any of those upcoming guys already he had no real need to fight anymore...all his earnings were going into houses in the north of england that were already bringing in good rents and doubling their capital value every ten years...he had friends in the celebrity world...he just thought forget it.

Also he had been dieting amd boxing since the age of 7 he got tired of it and wanted to eat...it wasnt like could come back a welterweight that division was stacked too...plus he was fed up of bull**** from brendan ingle....he was already very rich and married with kids..
.hand injuries.
Without ingle there was no one to train him in that style amd the feud with ingle was bitter like all ingle feuds.
.

Deep down he didnt really want to be in live hard fights as he knew without ingle he couldnt get back up to being the peak naz so would lose ...and ingle who had called him an idolotar wasnt gonna be apologised to anytime soon..ingle didnt do diplomacy......so even for the 3-4 big paydays that were a certainty...the £7-8 million on offer fighting barerra rematch,morales,casamayor,mayweather...naz could earn that in property over the next 15 years and not lift a finger not get punched doing it...

Plus with sept 11th taking place he probably feared a backlash in popularity given his islamic image.

I always thought of him as a incredibly talented fighter...but that his in ring persona and confidence was a phoney act...he saw hector camacho on british tv in 1987 and ripped off his act...he copied ali and eubanks....not such an original but very entertaining......he was a pioneer only in regards to his influence on british pakistanis tho a brit arab...its tgey who he influenced most and spawned a generation of ali g rudebwoys.

But in the ring as a fighter he was surely an original.blistering power and hand speed...heart....chin...stamina...defensively adept but also wild and reckless

His army of yes men brothers probably softened his dedication and desire once the money really started rolling in circa kelley fight.hed been slipping fast a good 3 years prior to the loss

But no one can question his heart he showed it against medina,sanchez and barerra.

I think he wanted to return around 2005 once he saw the money his former rivals were earning whilst having depreciated in ring (Barrera/morales/casa/marquez and saw the money pac bought in ...im sure he had ego ....and unfinished business even tho it was very late in the day at 31 ......but than a random car crash... and prison and the fat lady had sung ..........and that was that.

 

I believe it. Twas a brilliant meteor, his, while ascending.