Naseem Hamed vs Manny Pacquiao

[gilgamesh]

It hurts my heart that the world missed out on this one. Naz was around only a few short years before Pac bursts onto the scene, and we missed it by just that much.

Let's just say. Instead of fighting Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001 Naz insteads opts to fight this little Filipino kid who's been making some noise Manny Pacquiao. A bit of a far fetched scenario, but whatever just go with it for the sake of imagining a way the bout could happen.

Who do ya got? At that time of their lives, the only time that it feasibly could've happened. Or maybe 2002 if you imagine he chooses Pac as his comeback opponent instead of Manuel Calvo.

[Noxy]

Pacquaio UD - I don’t see Hamed beating the top tier fighters, people like Manny, Barrera, Marquez or Mayweather. Those guys did everything well and more besides. Hamed wasn’t as complete a fighter as those guys.

[Bobbyptsd]

Pac stops him fairly early. Hamed was way too slow easy to hit compared to the destructive buzzsaw that was Pacquiao at the time. He blotzes him like he did to Marquez in the fight that wound up being scored a draw, but Hamed can't recover the way Marquez did sort of scenario.

[gilgamesh]

I'd have to imagine Pac could've taken him as well. Especially in the time table when the fight could've been a possibility. Naz is like Mike Tyson or Benitez and his prime was in his early 20's. His career was already completely over before he ever turned 30. A real shooting star of a talent. There one minute. Gone the next, but he made a hell of a splash. He definitely never proved half as much as Pacquiao did so yes you'd have to give Pac the benefit of the doubt. Especially when the fight could've been made and Naz was already a made man and Pac was young and hungry and at his fiercest if not his technical best yet.

Would've been an interesting event. Shame we never got this one. Shame we never got Naz vs Erik Morales as well.