Naseem Hamed

[Deserter]

He stopped throwing combinations because the opponents were better. Why else would he not throw combinations?

Laziness? That's pitiful.

Idiotic statement. There is plenty of precedent for fighters falling in love with their power and neglecting their skills - Tyson is an obvious example, Honeyghan another.

But if you're losing, you're not going to choose to just throw one at a time if it's not working. He wasn't capable of throwing combinations against Barrera, or he would've done

The point you are completely missing is that his abandonment of his wider skillset happened well before the Barrera fight - we are talking about a gradual erosion, not a sudden decline in the space of one defining fight.

[coghaugen11]

Idiotic statement. There is plenty of precedent for fighters falling in love with their power and neglecting their skills - Tyson is an obvious example, Honeyghan another.

But if you're losing, you're not going to choose to just throw one at a time if it's not working. He wasn't capable of throwing combinations against Barrera, or he would've done

The point you are completely missing is that his abandonment of his wider skillset happened well before the Barrera fight - we are talking about a gradual erosion, not a sudden decline in the space of one defining fight.

So he stopped throwing more than one at a time on bags, on pads with Steward and Suarez, under strict instruction in sparring under those trainers who wouldn't tolerate a fighter not working on combinations? Ok

[coghaugen11]

He shadow boxed throwing one power shot at a time? Really? A teetotal unbeaten professional boxing world champion in his 20s cannot physically throw a combination of punches... Hmm.

[banjo]

He clearly went backwards after splitting with Brendan Ingle.

[Deserter]

He clearly went backwards after splitting with Brendan Ingle.

This. I’m not even going to respond to the idiotic statements above.

[coghaugen11]

He looked a lot better technically against Bungu (albeit a faded little dude) than he did swinging/missing and being hit off-balance against a shot Kelley and blown up McCullough

[coghaugen11]

He clearly went backwards after splitting with Brendan Ingle.

This. I’m not even going to respond to the idiotic statements above.

Bless you. Truth kills, man

[banjo]

He wouldn't listen to the people around him, I remember Manny Steward saying he "lived in fantasy land" and wanted to do everything his way rather than listening to people who know. Hamed's ego was his biggest weakness.

[orbtastic]

Little prince big fight.

[Deserter]

He clearly went backwards after splitting with Brendan Ingle.

This. I’m not even going to respond to the idiotic statements above.

Bless you. Truth kills, man

No, what kills me is that a couple of posters on boxrec seem to have evaded the law of natural selection.

[coghaugen11]

If he didn't have the mental capacity to come back and prove himself, he wasn't great. Simple as that. Didn't even attempt to right the wrong. (He never ever had the basic balance or trap-setting IQ to deal with Barrera's positioning and timing though, IMO.)

[coghaugen11]

This. I’m not even going to respond to the idiotic statements above.

Bless you. Truth kills, man

No, what kills me is that a couple of posters on boxrec seem to have evaded the law of natural selection.

Give yourself a pat on the back. Big fat L remains on Hamed's boxrec by the Barrera match. Get over it. He wasn't good enough.

[coghaugen11]

The truth is that Barrera was faded against Hamed. Past his very best. And in a rematch would've beaten him even more convincingly - he spent the first four or five rounds getting used to Naz's unorthodox style.

[My Name Is Earl]

What do you think Hamed's highest purse was?

Read he got $8.5 Mill for MAB with Barrera on $1.8M.

Pacman never earned even half of that in his featherweight days.

[My Name Is Earl]

The truth is that Barrera was faded against Hamed. Past his very best. And in a rematch would've beaten him even more convincingly - he spent the first four or five rounds getting used to Naz's unorthodox style.
[/quote

Strange to think nowadays, but they were the same age. The bookies had Naz @ 2/9 Fav with only 2 of 30
big name boxers going for Barrera. So much for inside information.

[coghaugen11]

Who was going for Barrera? I recall Roy Jones?

Roy was also the only one to pick Benn to beat McClellan.

Sugar Ray predicted McClellan would beat Benn in three or four rounds and then try to do the same to Roy.

Eubank went for McClellan on points, suggesting he was a comprehensively better schooled boxer after being taught alongside Hearns at Kronk.

Liles went for McClellan on points for the EXACT SAME REASON AS EUBANK.

Toney went for McClellan in three or four rounds saying Benn won't stay off the ropes.

Steward went for McClellan early, saying he knows he would have to end Benn early because Benn is that dangerous.

McCallum went for McClellan, saying he respects Benn but McClellan is a 'bad boy'.

Julian Jackson went for McClellan, saying he can box and punch and Benn can only punch.

Holyfield went for McClellan, saying he punched as hard as heavyweights in sparring.

Moorer went for McClellan on points, saying he watched him outbox Sugar Ray at Kronk when he was 20 years old and nobody knows how well he can box.

Whitaker went for McClellan, saying you won't see much sweet science but Benn is more of a street brawler and McClellan measures his punches.

Tyson went for McClellan, saying he's a cross between Tommy Hearns and Joe Louis and basically unbeatable. 'Benn is my favorite fighter but I can't look past McClellan.'

Lennox went for McClellan, saying he wants his fellow East Londoner Benn to win but feels McClellan is the best middleweight out there right now.

Roy went for Benn in four or five, saying Benn's power is being overlooked. 'At one time, Benn was 22-0 with 22 knockouts. I didn't do that, Oscar De La Hoya didn't do that. Nobody hardly got that far with straight knockouts. If Gerald is looking to end it in round one like he says, that's disrespecting Benn's punching ability and asking for trouble.'

[margaret thatcher]

ya Mac was big favorite no doubt

In general Yanks often don't respect Brit boxers at all, I remember the ring did a poll that had Porter beating Brook like 25-0 or something. See a lot of stuff today like lots of yanks think that every brit is just some eddeh hype job fraud

[coghaugen11]

Showtime pre/post-fight:

[Noxy]

It’s perception, who had Grovesy beating Chris (apart from me ).

[Loftgroov]

One of the most exciting fighters ever. I absolutely loved watching him fight. Pure entertainment.

[Loftgroov]

The truth is that Barrera was faded against Hamed. Past his very best. And in a rematch would've beaten him even more convincingly - he spent the first four or five rounds getting used to Naz's unorthodox style.

I don't disagree but then I reckon Hamed didn't train well for the fight (Manny Steward's comments etc) and was in full "hanger on" mode with all sorts of cretins hanging off his coat tails by them.

I'd have loved to see a really dedicated, focused Hamed in the fight.

[tonyevs]

Hamed’s sons sparring Brook in the gym. I would suggest they’re very inexperienced.

Wasn't there reports his son is boxing professional?

Brook was sparring him in slow motion as you do a raw novice; I think the prediction of him boxing professionally is as realistic as him playing tennis professionally too

[coghaugen11]

One of the most exciting fighters ever. I absolutely loved watching him fight. Pure entertainment.

Last 10 years the fighters fiddle their way through fights, tickling eachother today by comparison to Benn, Toney, Tyson, McClellan, Barkley, Hearns, Bowe, Holyfield, and Watson and Eubank.

[margaret thatcher]

Hamed’s sons sparring Brook in the gym. I would suggest they’re very inexperienced.

hopefully just playing aroud, the hands down, stance switching cutie pie game is not the game to play when you've hardly just begun to box

the one in the grey shirt looked better

[Wales]

Roy was also the only one to pick Benn to beat McClellan.


Roy went for Benn in four or five, saying Benn's power is being overlooked. 'At one time, Benn was 22-0 with 22 knockouts. I didn't do that, Oscar De La Hoya didn't do that. Nobody hardly got that far with straight knockouts. If Gerald is looking to end it in round one like he says, that's disrespecting Benn's punching ability and asking for trouble.'

Roy picked McClellan too.


RJJ: "Yeah, McClellan would be interesting. He hits harder than anyone else."

Q: "You think he'll beat Nigel Benn in London?"

RJJ: "Yeah, I think McClellan beats Benn. But, maybe, just maybe, its gonna be tighter than some people expect. Nigel's a real warrior, he can still bang abit-and I think McClellans jaw is kind of suspect when he gets tagged..."

Q: "But can Benns own chin absorb too many McClellan punches?"

RJJ: "No, probably not. Eventualy, Benn will go..."

Q: "Which will leave McClellan calling even louder for you..."

RJJ: "Sure, he knows that I'm the guy who'll earn him some real money."