When Did Prince Naseem Hamed's Prime End?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Could be up for a really good debate.. Jokes welcome.. But I think we could see a lot of different answers..

I've read some say, he was mentally retired rather than physically retired before he fought Barrera.

[keithmoonhangover]

Could be up for a really good debate.. Jokes welcome.. But I think we could see a lot of different answers..

I've read some say, he was mentally retired rather than physically retired before he fought Barrera.

He was unhitable in his younger days and his prime was definitely before Kelley.

[Bazooka el cholo]

He was unhitable in his younger days and his prime was definitely before Kelley.

Totally agree

[Tantum]

[Ketchel]

Totally agree

His prime ended as soon as he fell in love with his power and forgot keep his other skills sharp.

[jamamb]

kinda a tough one because his most pronounced flawed showings just so happened to be when he fought his best opposition. can see how it just seems like a bit of excuse to why barrera beat him handily. curious.....how much talk was there at the times of him being past it before that or kelly

he had beaten a lot of solid but not that good opponents

[John]

The last time I think he really boxed was against Jose Badillo, after that he relied more and more on his power to win the fight sooner or later.

[Duran1970]

His prime ended as soon as he fell in love with his power and forgot keep his other skills sharp.

What other skills?

[Controversial]

His problem was the fame and fortune went to his head

[Syntax Error]

This is a great question.

I don't think Hamed ever exited his prime, but I do think he became arrogant, conceited and drunk on his demonic power.

What makes it difficult to truly say is that his arrogance also seemed to come about the same time as his competition increased.

He's similar to Mike Tyson in some ways, who also seemed to abandon the basics in favour of one punch at a time power shots.

In short, he fought best pre Kelley, but from that fight on, he developed some misguided belief that his power was a gift from God and I knew the game was up for him after one of his fights when he sat on the ringside apron said out loud, "I've mastered my sport".

When fighters start coming out with shyte like that, you know a fall is inevitable.

[Bazooka el cholo]

I also think when a fighter at any level falls completely out of love with the game their done.. It was clear that despite his love of a big occasion and the money it brought his passion was no longer boxing.. as said before Tyson went thru the same thing, kel is going thru it now. While hindsight is often derided when analysing fighters after they retired it is hard to pick a definitive fight when he started to slip as a lot of the fighters he faced were prior to their peak or past it. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have beat the opponents anyway due to his power but it’s hard to find a point where he peaked.

[banjo]

When he started getting rid of the people who kept him focused.

[overhand_right]

Still remember reading a newspaper article in 2001 predicting he would lose to Barerra because 'fighters who become obsessed with their power lose soon after'. I shared that view and told everyone I knew Barerra would beat him handily. Felt very clever after that. Haven't correctly predicted a fight since.

In the mid 90s it seemed like there was always a Naz fight coming up. But like Tyson, once the riches poured in, and the activity slowed, and the entourage overtook the original team, the focus was lost and he became overwhelmingly dependent on power. 1998, after the Kelley fight, I would say.

[JxhDel.]

He had always been in his prime but totally lost his focused towards the Barrera bout

[BoxBuzz]

The last time I think he really boxed was against Jose Badillo, after that he relied more and more on his power to win the fight sooner or later.

AND his one of kind athleticism......he was a savant at being perfectly flexible/mobile. He could take the country roads and get to places faster than the fighters who used the superhighways. What I mean by that, is that he could move as fast in inefficient non textbook ways, as some of the best fighters could move going strictly by the book. The way that is SUPPOSED to be the best/most efficient way.

This is a fella IMHO that would have been beyond legendary IF he would have committed himself to fundamentals. I think he was one of a kind. His hype followed his genuine ability. Not an overestimation of same. If he made a mistake it was not believing in what those fundamentals would have/ could have done for him. He should have partnered up with the best trainer he could find, and stayed on that course.

But hey, he had a fantastic career without doing that. So I'll bet he has no regrets.

[chrisjs1985]

When the level of his opponents went up and he completely fell in love with his power. Barrera, Marquez or Morales would have beaten him handily even 2-3 years before he got outclassed by Barrera. Don't get me wrong he was a talented fighter but I tend to think he was overrated back then and even more now by people romanticizing over him. Put him in the era with Winstone, Legra, Famechon not to mention Saldivar and he'd have been found out a lot earlier.

[Noxy]

Interesting question, I remember thinking his best days were behind him after the Sanchez fight because of his Russian roulette attitude. Or maybe it was earlier than that.

[Controversial]

Hamed was only 28 when he retired, hard to say when he declined, I think it was more a case of too much fame and money and believing his own hype and that backfired against Barrera.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hamed was only 28 when he retired, hard to say when he declined, I think it was more a case of too much fame and money and believing his own hype and that backfired against Barrera.

That's why there is an option to say he never left his prime.

[Ambling Alp II]

Which would be the correct option.

[DrDuke]

It's strange, not only someone picked options before the Barrera one, but the Kelley option is winning up to the date.

[Ruthless-RKO]

It's strange, not only someone picked options before the Barrera one, but the Kelley option is winning up to the date.

Trolls