Naseem Hamed

Naseem Hamed
Hamed in 1997
Born (1974-02-12) 12 February 1974 (age 50)[3]
Sheffield, England
Other names
  • Prince Naseem
  • Naz
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[1][2]
Reach63 in (160 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights37
Wins36
Wins by KO31
Losses1

Naseem Hamed (Arabic: نسيم حميد; born 12 February 1974), nicknamed Prince Naseem and Naz, is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2002.[4][5] He held multiple featherweight world championships between 1995 and 2000, and reigned as lineal champion from 1998 to 2001. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The Ring magazine retroactively awarded Hamed their featherweight title in 2019 to acknowledge his dominance of the division and the multiple champions he defeated; he is the only former world champion in any division thus far to receive this honour.[6]

Hamed was known for his unconventional boxing antics and spectacular ring entrances which included entering the ring on a flying carpet, a lift, and a palanquin, as well as re-enacting the video of Michael Jackson's Thriller, and wearing a Halloween mask. He was also known for his front somersault over the top rope into the ring, his highly athletic and hard-hitting southpaw boxing style, and formidable one-punch knockout power, having finished his career with a knockout-to-win percentage of 84%.[7][8] With his cocky persona and high-profile bouts he was a prominent figure in 1990s British pop culture, while Sean Ingle in The Guardian writes, "in his prime, Hamed was a global superstar".[9] A headliner on both sides of the Atlantic, Dan Rafael of ESPN writes, "one of the biggest stars in the sport, the guy sold out arenas before his opponent was even named."[10]

In 2016, ESPN ranked Hamed at number 22 on its list of the top 25 fighters, pound for pound, of the last 25 years.[11] World Boxing, a sister publication of The Ring magazine, ranked Hamed the 11th greatest British boxer of all time, and Gareth A. Davies of The Telegraph ranked him 10th.[12] The Ring also ranked Hamed the 46th greatest puncher of all time.[10]

  1. ^ a b HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the Marco Antonio Barrera fight.
  2. ^ "Glam Rocked Prince Naseem Hamed's glitz was no match for the grit of Marco Antonio Barrera in their featherweight showdown". Sports Illustrated. 16 April 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  3. ^ Naseem Hamed profile. BBC.com. Retrieved 4 April 2014
  4. ^ Davies, Gareth A (8 June 2015). "Prince Naseem Hamed: 'I always thought they would put me in the Hall of Fame sooner or later'". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
    ^ Reddy, Luke (31 May 2020). "Greatest Fights: Hamed v Barrera and the 'carrot' too big to turn down". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
    ^ Christie, Matt (11 May 2020). "Naseem Hamed: 'I won't say arrogant. Let's say I was extremely confident'". Boxing News. Kelsey Media. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
    ^ Parkinson, Nick (19 December 2017). "Naseem Hamed rates Kevin Kelley win 20 years ago as career standout". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
    ^ "Prince Naz lands 'Royal reunion'". BBC News. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
    ^ Slot, Owen. "Naseem Hamed: Gifted, flawed, unfulfilled – in search of British boxing prince who disappeared". The Times. News UK. Retrieved 10 May 2024.(subscription required)
    ^ ESPN staff (10 October 2013). "Classic Matchup: Marquez vs. Hamed". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  5. ^ Boxing record for Naseem Hamed from BoxRec (registration required). Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  6. ^ Gray, Tom (17 June 2019). "Prince Naseem Hamed Awarded Ring Magazine Featherweight Belt, History in the Making". The Ring. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  7. ^ Rold, Cliff (2 October 2014). "Measured Against All Time: Prince Naseem Hamed". BoxingScene. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  8. ^ Davies, Gareth A (13 June 2015). "Prince Naseem Hamed: 'I want to see Brendan Ingle and say I'm sorry for the nasty things I said'" The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ingle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Rafael, Dan (24 October 2014). "Hamed deserves HOF election". ESPN. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference espn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Davies, Gareth A. (9 November 2016). "The UK's top 10 greatest ever boxers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2019.