Is Prince Naseem Hamed underrated?

& that’s what legitimately great fighters don’t do - quit as soon as it gets too tough for them to win (looking at you, Trinidad).

Barrera slamming his face head-first into the turnbuckle was pure magic after Hamed’s years of cocky, front-runner BS.

 

This is it in a nutshell. His talent is not enough to overshadow what a bell end he was and, judging by a recent interview, still is. Unbearable man. Bert Sugar once called Larry Holmes an all time grate. He never met Hamed.

 

Interview? Do tell.

 

Naz talked a good game after the loss, but it was all hot air as far as the ‘I’ll be back. I’ll fight him again and I’ll beat him. I’m going to knock him out” stuff.

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No, he is becoming forgotten though, considering how big he was in his day? He is not talked all that much…

 

ESB. East Side Of The Atlantic Boxing? Not here. Other forums, yes. Not here.

 

It was on Talk Sport so I can't give a link even.

He was just horrible. Arrogant, sneering, God complex. Zero humility or warmth. Most fighters have some fans. Apart from Valero and Ayala, you usually find a few fans who can overlook personal flaws and root for fighters. Yet, you really struggle to find a Hamed fan. There's a reason for that.

 

I'd certainly say he is underrated these days. I think he's pretty much a lock for top 20 at featherweight and H2H is a nightmare at the weight. His style certainly isn't for everyone and his braggadocio and showboating can be a turn off for many but he beat the best fighters of his era and it's undeniable that it takes an immense amount of talent to do what Naz did in the ring. I personally like him and his style quite a bit and do think he's been overlooked by many modern fans.

 

I was never struck, but I’ve got to be careful when assessing him because I’m one of those who couldn’t stand his guts.
To me the only thing really special about him was his incredible power.
His unorthodox style while maybe bamboozling some was also his weakness against the better fighters because his bad habits started to be exposed.
Kelley and Ingle both had success against him before Barrera schooled him.
He would be a threat against any because of that power and the unusual angles he threw them from, but he never showed he could go through a real war dig deep through adversity and come through.
To me he was a bully.

 

"Hamed never showed he could go through a real war and dig deep through adversity and come through"

Have you never seen his fight vs Kevin Kelley ? that's the purest example of showing adversity in a back forth slugfest in which he was down 3 times.

 

Always felt like it was the Brits selling the guy short. Sure, he was annoying as all hell and his ringwalks were as tedious as they come. I really disliked the guy and the cards he would ruin with his theatrics. But he was one of the hardest, most vicious punchers the division ever saw and is in the discussion of Top 10 feathers for me, may Top 15 more realistically.

 

H2H he is. For some reason, people underestimate Hamed because his resume wasn't that deep and didn't beat very many elite opponents. Actually beating Hamed in the ring is a different story. The guy was freakishly athletic with good power, speed, and hard to read upper body movement. Nobody his size is having an easy time with prime Hamed.

 

Talent though, we must remind ourselves, is free, & takes no effort or character to wield.

 

There were elite guys available to beat like Marquez, Morales, and Barrera. So it seems reasonable to critique Hamed for not beating them.

 

How do you continuously miss the point of a post over and over for years? I didn't say it wasn't reasonable to criticize Hamed for not facing or beating those fighters, nor did I say there weren't any good fighters available for Hamed to face.

All I said was people underestimate Hamed because his resume lacked depth. In an actual h2h fight, most people would find it difficult to beat Hamed.