Is Prince Naseem Hamed an ATG?

[AntonTheMeh]

no. all time great entertainer though.

[edgarg]

Lol, this doesnt make him an atg. Means he fell short of his potential, which is true.

True. I didn't address it exactly because I'm not really sure I'm qualified to judge Hamed to that extent. I only posted what I know foe facts as presented at that very period.

I do believe that he is far more deserving to be dubbed a great than many who are. He could have done more, but his enormous talent could mean that what he did was actually enough. After his Barrera mess-up, he took a long time to return to the ring for a single fight which was against a 30-1 very good fighter, against whom i think he won very round. For years afterwards he was fond of making public announcements huntung that he was coming back, and stated on several occasions that he was NOT retired. he liked to tantalise people.

He was a combination of guile, naivete, and colossal ego. To me he was certainly the best featherweight of his era, and brought the lower weights into sudden affluence. This was a big contribution.

[Roy Jones Jnr]

You thought Floyd was the master of ducking? Prince Naseem, ducked EVERYONE.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPcD-WVZpyQ

[edgarg]

Want a quick way to spot a Boxing ******? Find out their opinion on Prince Naseem.

Whilst i think an ATG he is not, the way his resume is underrated on here is just laughable.

He completely dominated his division for god knows how long and beat all the top guys in his division during his reign.

By the time Barrera came along Hamed was finished. Not finished physically but finished mentally. He just completely lost interest in the fight game and was too busy partying in mansions whilst Barrera was running in the mountains.

Theirs video proof of this. This isn't just my opinion. Watch the documentary ''little prince big fight'' and tell me if that looks like a man preparing correctly for the biggest fight of his life.

Also you'd think he got KO'd in the 1st round the way people go on about his loss to MAB. Just because they see a few funny looking pictures of Hamed flailing about and think OMGZZZZ that must mean Barrera dominated him without actually knowing **** all about Hamed or watching the fight. Hamed always looked daft when he was caught with a punch because of how unorthodox his style was.

Another thing to bear in my mind was how un Mexican(yeah yeah i know many Mexicans fighters are highly skilled Boxers and not just brawlers but im on about the common perception of Mexican fighters) Barrera fought against Hamed which of course is no slight on MAB, huge credit goes to MAB for that as it was most certainly the correct gameplan and one which got him the win. Barrera knew you couldn't have a gunfight with Hamed, as there would only be one winner. Hamed had freakish power for a Featherweight.

I know the majority on here are upset that he didn't end up broke fighting till his mid 40's with loads of losses on his career, rather a multi millionaire living it large to this day with his fat arse in Dubai

But did he make the right choice? As a fight fan i say no as even a uninterested version of Hamed would have made some great fights against the likes of Morales and Marquez but on the other hand i look at it like that version of Hamed most likely would lose against the likes of Morales etc so maybe he made the right choice if his heart wasn't in Boxing anymore.

He lost the love for Boxing long before he ever stepped into the ring with Barrera. That's not hindsight speaking, thats the truth. Many British journalists called it before the Barrera fight, that Hamed was not respecting the sport and not giving it his all. He made his bed and he had to lie in it. You can't get away with anything less that 110% against someone like Barrera, no matter who you are.

Anyhow that's a different discussion altogether and wether any version of Hamed would have beat MAB is wide open for debate.

IMO a ATG has to be judged on his resume. And Hamed's resume is not strong enough to make him an ATG. This however doesn't mean Hamed fought a bunch of cab drivers till he fought Barrera. Look at his resume, study up on it. There is some solid wins, the best guys around at the time. He ruled his division for around 6 years, never ducking or dodging anybody.

Finally to anyone who still hates him to this day, it's you who is the one that is missing out. He was great for the sport of Boxing. Pure entertainment. I highly doubt his fat arse gives a flying **** what anyone thinks about him and nor should he given hes been retired for so long. Look past your hate and watch his fights, he was great entertainment. I highly doubt we'll ever see another like him.

An excellent post, added a lot I'd missed, the best on this subject.

[edgarg]

Actually, Jeff Fenech, for one, had worse hands. Retired twice because of it during his prime. So, you know....go learn something.

Fenech had a different temperament, and didn't make a fraction of the money Hamed made, so, although I don't know anything about Fenech's hands, I do know that Hamed was talking about having to quit because of hs hands for a few years, before he finally did. They were in gruesome shape, and occasionally because of multiple breakes, had to be pieced together.

Normally a bone crack or break heals stronger than the surrounding bone, but this didn't happen with Hamed. At least so I read, and once heard him say.

[Journeyman]

no. all time great entertainer though.

...........

[Safety]

His entrances are memorable, but that doesn't make him an atg.

[PrinceNaz88]

No, not an ATG.

[Japanese Boxing]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPcD-WVZpyQ

yeah, Erik Morales ducked top competition

Did you ever think that others maybe didn't like the risk/reward either? And have you seen the guys they fought instead? Just an honest question.

[Fasttimes]

No. He did get ducked a lot when he was the champ though.