Did Naz know Barrera would be his last?

I always said that the biggest mistake he ever made was splitting with Brendan Ingle

Not staying with Ingle turned this particular fight into a disaster when it could have been another Kevin Kelly type fight
Manny Stalwart was one of best trainers in history but Ingle was the trainer for the prince

 

You know I like Barrera better then Naz but let's be honest- by the time they met Naz already had one foot out of the game and into retirement. And he wasn't close to being at his best vs Barrera.
I couldn't stand Naz but he was amazing at his best. The way he took apart Steve Robinson was incredible. And Robinson had beaten a lot of really good fighters before he met Naz.
And he took apart Tom Johnson who had been a champion for the longest time.

 

People seem to forget he was with Ingle when he got found out by Kelley. He found out that he wasn't at the highest level after such a one sided fight.

 

tis possible he cashed out.

 

The official reason as I understand it was hand trouble, which plagued him throughout his career. People can of course speculate over other contributory factors.

Personally I think the Calvo fight was as significant as Barrera. The Barrera loss could be rationalised in his mind - quality opponent, poor prep, bad day at the office, only a few rounds difference on the cards, etc. Boxers can easily convince themselves that a single loss shouldn't have happened. However, labouring to a points win against the type of opponent he used to blow away within a few rounds, and the most exciting British fighter of his generation getting booed out of the building, would have been very difficult for Hamed's ego to take.

Often it's the "one more fight" that boxers need to convince themselves that they should retire, rather than the obvious high-profile defeat.

 

This