Naseem Hamed

[Andypittcov]

NAZ was 0% focused for MAB, MAB was 100% focused for NAZ

don't get me wrong I rate barrera highly but naz with a screwed on head would have beat him IMO

Based on what exactly? The only performance where Naz appeared anywhere near his optimum at featherweight came against a terrified Vuyani Bungu and an outclassed Steve Robinson who was too in awe to make any real inroads in the fight.

Barrera was a class above- a truly world class performer and he was better in almost every department then naz. I was a naz fan but people over-rate him.

I'm well aware that barrera has achieved more,been in better fights with better opposition but he's also been knocked out a few times,even when naz went down 3 times against Kelly he never even looked hurt,naz had a better chin,was faster,more illusive,more agile and punched much harder(this being the key) naz was well capable of knocking anyone out and if he hadn't lost his focus I think he would of won.

[stevieb_8006]

historys painted it like Naz never beat ANY capable fighters.

He should have stayed at bantam (ingle insists he could have made it easy if he tried), then done super bantam. The KO's would have been frightening.

[Twinkle Toes]

Hamed was awesome, it's going to be a long time before we see anything like him again.

I will always believe a focused Hamed would have beaten Barrera, but I have my rose tinted glasses on when it comes to Hamed.

[stujones]

I don't think no-one could really say for sure. True that Naz wasn't 100% focused on the sport by the time he fought Barrera. However, he also hadn't fought anyone REMOTELY near the quality of the 2001 version of MAB before.

Was Naz slipping, or did he look relatively poor cause his opponents level had increased?

Its not surprising that his two best opponents, an over the hill Kevin Kelly and Manuel Medina (who was good, but never in Barrera's league) gave Hamed his toughest defences. Yet Hamed could still give masterclass clinics against the outsized Bungu and outclassed Jose Badillo. Did Hamed "refind" the focus for these guys?

Hamed started as favourite vs Marco because at the time there was some doubts about Marco's chin. Having fairly recently been floored against McKinney, and KO'd against Jones. Now he was moving up and facing the P4P #1 puncher in the game at a higher weight. As 3 dimensional a fighter as Hamed was, as awkard and as tricky as he was. I think Barrera had superior hand speed and had a chin that could take Hamed's power.

[stujones]

mmm - Morales vs Hamed would have been tasty.... close to call that one.

I would still give an edge to Morales. I just think he would have the superior work rate. 3rd Pacquiao fight aside - Morales has shown he is very hard to clean KO. Even now up in weight. He can get hurt, but his recovery is quick. Hamed was always an untidy finisher - I think Hamed would hurt Morales, but he would be able to get him out of there, and then Morales recovers and out speeds him.

Would have been great to have seen those fights though.

Lets not forget Morales was no mug, he did a number on Pacquiao the first time.

[Bricks]

You won't find many people who would defend naz as much as I would cos he's defo my favourite boxer but he started losing me also with all his religious pish aswell.
That kind of thing should be done in the changing room if it means so much and not spat in2 a microphone.
Imagine he had to have fought in NY post 9-11. Jesus, he wouldv been shot!

naz was terrified out of his skull fighting mab thats why he suddenly got all religious.

I didnt see his religiousness in the ring when he was mocking torturing and breaking the nose of muslim said lawal in 30 cruel seconds a few years earlier.

Most my muslims mates were disgusted at him mentioning god when he was covered in alcohol and piss some mexicans had thrown at him during his poncey ring entrance. Also the way he mixed islamic sermons with boom boom music. Very wrong and naz got his backside kicked.

He didnt have the guts to go back there post 9/11 and do the same thing.

[Bricks]

NAZ was 0% focused for MAB, MAB was 100% focused for NAZ

don't get me wrong I rate barrera highly but naz with a screwed on head would have beat him IMO

well dont forget before the fight all the talk was mab was on the slide, the morales war had taken something out of him, and naz was finally signing up as mab was no longer the same threat!

Fact is mab would have beaten naz any time in their careers, the hungrier younger naz would have tried harder and trained harder but his technical deficiencies would have been exposed by pretty much anyone out of mab, tapia,morales,mayweather,corrales,casamayor,freitas,mosley.....take your pick

[palooka]

NAZ was 0% focused for MAB, MAB was 100% focused for NAZ

don't get me wrong I rate barrera highly but naz with a screwed on head would have beat him IMO

well dont forget before the fight all the talk was mab was on the slide, the morales war had taken something out of him, and naz was finally signing up as mab was no longer the same threat!

Fact is mab would have beaten naz any time in their careers, the hungrier younger naz would have tried harder and trained harder but his technical deficiencies would have been exposed by pretty much anyone out of mab, tapia,morales,mayweather,corrales,casamayor,freitas,mosley.....take your pick

I think that you are right in what you say; also Marquez would've beaten him as well. To give him his due though; any of those fights would've been very interesting due to Nasseems' power and guts.

I don't think there's any need for all the hate though. Hamed was a young lad who got his head turned; he wasn't the first to make a dick out of himself and he won't be the last. I also think that Hamed really did think believe that he'd been blessed with a superior talent to other fighters; it didn't seem like bluster; he really felt it. If he decided to shout from the rooftops and thank his God, so what? What's to hate?

Hamed's pronouncements may have been nieve, stupid or out of place but he weren't advocating war, torture or murder and neither was he upsetting people on Rememberence Sunday.

[Yes We Can]

a once in a lifetime fighter, everybody new who the prince was, so innovative and brash with his entrances, so beautiful and irritating with his in ring style. The only thing that pisses me off is that he left every single one of his fans with a what if feeling after the Barrera fight....its the biggest fight of your career and you cant motivate? did he see the end of his streak coming beforehand??? that would be my guess.

[Andypittcov]

NAZ was 0% focused for MAB, MAB was 100% focused for NAZ

don't get me wrong I rate barrera highly but naz with a screwed on head would have beat him IMO

well dont forget before the fight all the talk was mab was on the slide, the morales war had taken something out of him, and naz was finally signing up as mab was no longer the same threat!

Fact is mab would have beaten naz any time in their careers, the hungrier younger naz would have tried harder and trained harder but his technical deficiencies would have been exposed by pretty much anyone out of mab, tapia,morales,mayweather,corrales,casamayor,freitas,mosley.....take your pick

Fair enough mate there your opinions I'm not gonna tell you your wrong but what I will say in Reading your post is that you seem somewhat single minded in your opinion
I mean what strikes me from Reading your comment that naz would have lost to all them names above is that your looking at naz's worst credentials against their best
Your looking at what all them guys achieved all their positives and none of their negatives and your painting naz out to be some sort of average joe
Look at the big picture,the highs and lows and pro's and con's of all them fighters including naz and you'll see that trying to substantiate anything is silly cuz naz belongs in that bunch and picking who would beat who is just personal opinion.

[Bricks]

NAZ was 0% focused for MAB, MAB was 100% focused for NAZ

don't get me wrong I rate barrera highly but naz with a screwed on head would have beat him IMO

well dont forget before the fight all the talk was mab was on the slide, the morales war had taken something out of him, and naz was finally signing up as mab was no longer the same threat!

Fact is mab would have beaten naz any time in their careers, the hungrier younger naz would have tried harder and trained harder but his technical deficiencies would have been exposed by pretty much anyone out of mab, tapia,morales,mayweather,corrales,casamayor,freitas,mosley.....take your pick

i say what i say out of disapointment. hameds career in the ring was the biggest disapointment in british boxing history! sure out of the ring, financially he is worth 40 million and he left a young man with his health. in the ring he was a great entertainer but a lot of his act was a rip off of eubanks and camacho snr and he did epitomise the first generation of ali g type culture in the asian community.

but in the ring sure a man can only fight whats in front of him and in the mid 90s the fw division was weak. man oh man when guys like hodkinson and johnson and vasquez snr were the top fws according to ring and other american mags in 91-95
you know it was weak.

but clearly he should have fought barrera or marquez in 97-98, mayweather or coralles in 98-99 at the very least. in 2002 it was interesting he avoided tapia to fight calvo.

anyway whats done is done, but another thing i objected to were hameds bogus "im making a comeback" promos in 2005-2006. he loved to tease and disapoint did hamed.
I think that you are right in what you say; also Marquez would've beaten him as well. To give him his due though; any of those fights would've been very interesting due to Nasseems' power and guts.

I don't think there's any need for all the hate though. Hamed was a young lad who got his head turned; he wasn't the first to make a dick out of himself and he won't be the last. I also think that Hamed really did think believe that he'd been blessed with a superior talent to other fighters; it didn't seem like bluster; he really felt it. If he decided to shout from the rooftops and thank his God, so what? What's to hate?

Hamed's pronouncements may have been nieve, stupid or out of place but he weren't advocating war, torture or murder and neither was he upsetting people on Rememberence Sunday.

[J]

..praise be to allah ..while stood on a budweiser logo..what a tool.

I assume he was stood on it in the ring? Can't think anywhere else he would be, a bit daft to criticise him for that.

quote]

not daft at all

1. keep your preaching for the mosque / church whatever
2. if you are gonna open your mouth on the subject best make sure its not somewhere advertising something that directly contravenes your religious beliefs.

That is daft.