Why did Prince Naseem Hamed retire?

El Cepillo · Mar 11, 2009

djm said: ↑

"In fact, the seeds of Hameds discontent had been sown as early as 1998. Hameds gloomy demeanour in the build up to the fight with Vasquez wasnt in keeping with flamboyant stars outgoing personality. "

A number of paragraphs later:
"Perhaps this had worn Hamed infectious enthusiasm down to the bone; see the Vasquez fight press conference where Hamed seems deeply disinterested in proceedings."

Just a sort of organizational thing - get all the points you want to make straight in your mind and group them together within the text.

If you'd like some editing comments some time, go ahead and PM me. I know grammar/punctuation isn't everyone's strong suit.

[Incidentally, the quotes above have some typo corrections to be done. But, the semi-colon in the second one isn't too bad; a dash may be more appropriate, though. Yeah, it's picky, but it's the nature of the beast.]
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Ah yes, I see. Thanks! I'm going to add you to my friends list, next time I write a boxing article, I will send it your way. There are definetly some things I would change, basically I start doing a detailed overview of the career, I should have stayed on topic more. Grammar & Punctuation and spelling are always my major weak points, although I must admit this article is worse than usual in those respects.

purplestuff · Mar 11, 2009

InHumanForm said: ↑

well then he must not have had that fighting spirit. As others have pointed out, many fighters have tasted defeat and came back to prove they actually have the fighters heart. Naz was humiliated by MAB and could never get back into it. Then he just got in some car accidents and fat and the rest is history
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MAB didnt just ruin him in the ring, he ruined him in every sense of the word. thats ownage.

2tall2slow2 · Mar 11, 2009

If I remember correctly, Hamed made bucket loads of money via some very good investments by his brother (Rhiad or something I think his name was). Not only was the Prince a great fighter he had good family around him and trustful business advisors. Take that into account and what's the point in risking injury when you don't have to fight to maintain your lifestyle.

divac · Mar 11, 2009

HOYA-UK said: ↑

Just wrote this article for the main page. Would be interested in feedback and opinions on the subject.

Naseem Hamed: Why did the Prince Retire?

By MTP

For the first time in a decade long career, Naseem Hamed left the ring to a mixture of muted boos and polite applause. A short time later, one of Britain's greatest ever boxers, at the age of 28, would announce his retirement. Hamed, looking out of shape after a long period of inactivity, had just won a wide points decision victory over an unheralded Spaniard, Manuel Calvo, for the lightly regarded IBO Featherweight title.

It had all begun twenty one years earlier, when at the age of seven, a young Naseem entered Brendan Ingles gym, in the steel city of Sheffield, England. Hamed was a polite and quiet boy, who would go on to become a brash and confident showman, capable of selling tickets, and filling sporting arenas across the world.

There has always been an aura of confusion surrounding Hameds retirement, which came not much more than a year after his career defining loss to Mexican legend; Marco Antonio Barrera. The fight with Barrera has become a point of reference for every critic and conspiracy theorist. The somewhat lazy and obvious assumption being; that Hamed was well beaten and exposed at the highest levels of the sport, and thus retired to avoid further embarrassment.

On the surface this seems like a credible reason, and, almost certainly, the loss to Barrera was one of the fundamental reasons why Hamed did retire, right in the middle of his physical prime. However, there were many other issues that contributed to Hameds retirement; it was a sporting death by a thousand cuts.

At the tender age of twenty, Hamed fought for his first prestigious accolade; the European Bantamweight title. The young Hamed won a wide points decision over the seasoned and durable Italian, Vincenzo Belcastro, who Hamed knocked down in the 1st and 11th rounds. That same year, in 1994, Hamed knocked out Freddy Cruz to capture the WBC International Super-Bantamweight title; which Hamed successfully defended six times, each time knocking out his opponent inside four rounds.

Then, in 1995, the call came for Hameds first shot at a world title. Taken on short notice, and moving up in weight, Hamed defeated Steve Robinson to win the WBO Featherweight title, and in doing so he became the youngest ever British World Champion, at the age of just twenty one. Hamed would go on to defend his WBO title successfully on fifteen occasions, before losing it for reasons outside of the boxing ring.

From 1995 to 2001, Hamed became the dominant force in the featherweight division, and a sporting and cultural phenomenon in his British homeland and further afield. During his heyday, Hamed met with, and was decorated by, Royalty from two sovereign nations. He had musical collaborations with The Ministry of Sound; he did commercials for Pizza Hut and Audi. He had a range of merchandise; posters, clothes, videos, statues and even his own Playstation game.

Inside the ring Hamed was equally sensational. He defeated no less than nine current, former or future world title holders. In 1997, he unified the WBO and IBF titles; with an 8th round TKO win over Tom Johnson. The American had successfully defended his title eleven times prior to the fight with the Prince. The following year, Hamed defeated the ageing three-weight world champion; Wilfredo Vasquez via 8th round TKO. Vasquez had been the current WBA Featherweight champion, but fearing unification with WBO, the WBA stripped Vasquez of his title. Two years later Hamed unified the WBO and WBC titles with a dull points decision victory over Cesar Soto in Detroit, USA.

Hameds single best victory perhaps came against Vuyani Bungu on the 11th of March, 2000, in London, England. Bungu had defeated Kennedy McKinney in 1994 to win the IBF Super-Bantamweight title. Bungu hadnt lost a fight for over eight years, and had successfully defended his IBF world title on fourteen prior occasions. Hamed entered the arena on a magic carpet that hovered over the audience below before coming back down to earth; he then stepped off the carpet and continued his ring walk with hip-hip impresario P.Diddy by his side. Bungu fought bravely, but Hamed defeated him via TKO in the 4th round.

There was another thrilling fight and KO victory to come, against the big punching, but seriously outgunned, Augie Sanchez in Connecticut that same year. But the inevitable march towards Barrera and retirement had seemingly begun.

In fact, the seeds of Hameds discontent had been sown as early as 1998. Hameds gloomy demeanour in the build up to the fight with Vasquez wasnt in keeping with flamboyant stars outgoing personality. After the fight, Hamed split from promoter Frank Warren, and it soon become clear that Hamed was also having problems with his long time trainer, friend and mentor; Brendan Ingle. Things came to head with Ingle, surrounding and during the October 1998 fight with durable Irishman, and future world title holder, Wayne McCullough.

During the entertaining fight, Hamed refused to make eye contact with Ingle between rounds, Ingle dished out advice, but Hamed sat stony faced and looking entirely indifferent to that advice. At the start of the rest period between rounds 11 and 12, Hamed refused to sit down and seemed to unceremoniously push Ingle away.

Later, Hamed would go on record to say, that he felt Ingle desperately wanted him to lose against McCullough. Perhaps Hamed said this, because Ingle himself was on record as saying that since Hameds win over Johnson, the money, fame and praise Hamed had received, had made the highly egotistical fighter difficult to train. Immediately after the fight with McCullough, Hamed split from Ingle.

The history of the 2001 fight between Prince Naseem Hamed and Marco Antonio Barrera has been re-written. A dominant performance by Barrera, in a competitive fight that two judges scored 115-112, has been rewritten as schooling; an embarrassing and uncompetitive boxing lesson for Hamed. The historical reality of that fight is somewhat different to its current perception.

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You lose all credibility when you describe MAB-Hamed to be competitive......

.....nobody that knows an ounce about boxing and judging gives a rats ass on exactly the judges scorecards.....

.....the simple fact is that Hamed wanted to compete, but simply did'nt have the boxing skills to do so.

Prior to MAB, there was'nt anyone in Hamed's resume that even came close to that type caliber fighter....Hamed had been avoiding the lone caliber featherweight before MAB.....Juan Manuel Marquez.

......so quite simply, Hamed retired because he knew he had no business competing vs the elites of the division.....MAB, Morales, JMM....

.....he'd be made to look a fool if he tried!

El Cepillo · Mar 11, 2009

divac said: ↑

You lose all credibility when you describe MAB-Hamed to be competitive......

.....nobody that knows an ounce about boxing and judging gives a rats ass on exactly the judges scorecards.....

.....the simple fact is that Hamed wanted to compete, but simply did'nt have the boxing skills to do so.

Prior to MAB, there was'nt anyone in Hamed's resume that even came close to that type caliber fighter....Hamed had been avoiding the lone caliber featherweight before MAB.....Juan Manuel Marquez.

......so quite simply, Hamed retired because he knew he had no business competing vs the elites of the division.....MAB, Morales, JMM....

.....he'd be made to look a fool if he tried!
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Mate, I couldn't give a **** if you think I lose credibility for saying whatever. I don't know who you think you are, or why I should care what you have to say. You talk about credibility, and then suggest Naz was ducking JMM.

JMM was fighting for NABO titles when Naz was a world champ in his prime. JMM didn't fight for a world title until 1999, and he lost. He was a nobody when Naz was the featherweight king.

Why don't you do reaserch before you start mouthing off, maybe then you can hang with people who actually know what the **** they are talking about.

Rico Spadafora · Mar 11, 2009

the gig was up he was all hype he lost to the first legit guy he faced.

El Cepillo · Mar 11, 2009

Rico Spadafora said: ↑

the gig was up he was all hype he lost to the first legit guy he faced.
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you live in a fantasy world

Arriba · Mar 11, 2009

This has turned into the Mexican rally post basically. Tons of "MAB done ****ed his ass up!" posts which completely ignore what the guy is trying to ask.

I think Nas quit simply because he had made it already. He made tons of money, he was a superstar in a division where it takes a truly skilled act to stand out. He became the best and then lost the will to remain that way. He lost Ingle, his desire and then lost his 0 to MAB. Once he lost to MAB, He didn't have a reason to stay in boxing anymore.

Just a matter of someone outgrowing the sport.

Kush · Mar 11, 2009

Pimp C said: ↑

Funny MAB video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKev6o4NSfI
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That was funny but this is better. Just go to the 5 min mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfBAp6HqCiw

mrplow182 · Mar 11, 2009

HOYA-UK said: ↑

you live in a fantasy world
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I will never understand how and why people still say he was hype

God knows what constitutes a good fighter in some people's minds

iceman71 · Mar 11, 2009

HOYA-UK said: ↑

Hamed beat every title holder in the division. He cleaned it out. Tell me what JMM was doing when Hamed was a three time world champion?
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being avoided
while hamed defended his garbage WBO belt ....oh...are you counting that? p
i'll give him credit for an IBF title vs tom johnson and the WBC title vs soto
WBO is garbage belt, especially back then

bladerunner · Mar 11, 2009

HOYA-UK said: ↑

Mate, I couldn't give a **** if you think I lose credibility for saying whatever. I don't know who you think you are, or why I should care what you have to say. You talk about credibility, and then suggest Naz was ducking JMM.

JMM was fighting for NABO titles when Naz was a world champ in his prime. JMM didn't fight for a world title until 1999, and he lost. He was a nobody when Naz was the featherweight king.

Why don't you do reaserch before you start mouthing off, maybe then you can hang with people who actually know what the **** they are talking about.
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you forgot to mention that JMM was his mandatory for a long time,and Hamed didnt want nothing to do with him.

JIM KELLY · Mar 11, 2009

the documentary, little prince, big show, was all you need to know about his desires at that point of his career. Even manny steward wanted the fight to be postponed as naz was not ready.

I coudn't wait for the calvo fight, expecting the knock out artist to ressurect ,boy was i wrong..end of his story!

roly · Mar 11, 2009

DINAMITA said: ↑

Interesting. Do you think Calzaghe should have been DQ'd then for his crass and cringeworthy mock-humping of Hopkins?
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i thought the humping was funny and wasn't comparable to what barrera did.

hellblazer · Mar 11, 2009

exposed
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exposed
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