Yeah he lost to Barrera, but Barrera wasn't his first fight here in the states.

[Raggamuffin]

A lot of people like to rewrite history when it comes to Naseem. They forget that he held the IBF, WBO, WBC and beat the WBA hodler just before he was stripped. He fought who was available and by the time he got to the elite levels of Barrera he'd split with Ingle, had back surgery and broken his hand against Mccullogh which he needed injections for. Look at his hands in the Sky interview after the Eubank fight, they're like balloons the poor guy. He was one of the best things about boxing in the 90s along with RJJ.

Good post.

[ruedboy]

Hamed didn't just lose to Barrera, he was outclassed. The Prince was a one of a kind, crazy, mad fighter, with his flash, athleticism and one punch KO.
Barrera exploited Naz's hands down, head up style and made him look ordinary. Would the other great Mexican featherweights, Morales and JMM, have also outclassed Hamed? Too bad we'll never find out.
No doubt Hamed was a great fighter. Like Roberto Duran, the Prince was born to fight. It was almost as if Naz was too talented for his own good. Naz relied on his natural ability at the expense of fundamentals and paid for it when he fought Barrera, an equally gifted fighter, who was fundamentally sound.

[Raggamuffin]

I had a soft spot for Hamed before he got famous since he saved a mate of mine from a beating outside a nightclub many years ago. He went on to be absolutely massive in the UK, signed a big deal with Sky and sadly stagnated and stopped progressing as a boxer. He didn't address his flaws and when he got in with a top guy he paid the price. He fought too long as a big fish in a small pond. He should've gone to US sooner in my view and taken some easier fights to ease himself in and iron out the defensive flaws. Superb unorthodox talent though and so exciting to watch until the ringwalks got longer than the fights...




No doubt he will at some point. Although it's no longer the inevitable draw it once was. Boxing is thriving on this side of the pond at the moment.

By the way I get the scepticism you and others have for British home cooking. Just remember that in all the fights you mention and many more we had exactly the same concerns, frequently very well founded.

I'm still wondering what fight the judges in Lewis Holyfield I were watching!

Good post...

[chrisJS]

Hamed came here doe. He didn’t lowball his opponents like Boom Boom Johnson and Kelley and others. He came here for fame.

Hamed could've stayed in the UK and made everyone come there to fight him. Instead he came to America.

We had heard about him(I was an instant fan) but we had to see it to believe it. Hamed made a lot of fans in NY that day.

Hamed was great. He tarnished his legacy a bit against a clenbuterol filled MAB.

And there were serious rumors that Barrera juiced for that fight. Whether it was clenbuterol or whatever he was on something. Barrera was huge that night.

I think it's 100% that Joshua WILL fight here. He will fight in NYC and Vegas. That's basically a certainty but it will be after he's undisputed which is fair enough given the circumstances.

The eras are different though.

British Boxing is way stronger and makes way more money now. The market is a lot smaller over here now. A LOT smaller. A whole new sport called UFC no doubt took a lot of that audience. Most of the people willing to go out and pay to watch Boxing now are the Mexican fan base and not sure how big a deal a British Heavyweight is to them.

The Heavyweight title has basically been a European title for 20 years also so it's much bigger in England than America. It's basically to the point where a Heavyweight fighters has to go over there now given that Joshua is the #1 Heavyweight, #1 attraction and how big the fights are there. Not sure if he'd draw more than Lomachenko or GGG over here and if he did it's because of the British people coming over. The TV ratings would probably be less.

[Raggamuffin]

I think it's 100% that Joshua WILL fight here. He will fight in NYC and Vegas. That's basically a certainty but it will be after he's undisputed which is fair enough given the circumstances.

The eras are different though.

British Boxing is way stronger and makes way more money now. The market is a lot smaller over here now. A LOT smaller. A whole new sport called UFC no doubt took a lot of that audience. Most of the people willing to go out and pay to watch Boxing now are the Mexican fan base and not sure how big a deal a British Heavyweight is to them.

The Heavyweight title has basically been a European title for 20 years also so it's much bigger in England than America. It's basically to the point where a Heavyweight fighters has to go over there now given that Joshua is the #1 Heavyweight, #1 attraction and how big the fights are there. Not sure if he'd draw more than Lomachenko or GGG over here and if he did it's because of the British people coming over. The TV ratings would probably be less.

Tbis is actually a good post but Joshua isn’t the number 1 hvw. That hasn't been established yet.

[kafkod]

Nobody wanted to fight Kelley and Hamed came here to Kelley’s home town and kod him inside 4 rounds. Hamed came here. He came.

The point is Hamed came here. Put it all on the line and came here. He fought the guy considered the best FW or one of the best and beat him and became huge.

The point is that if Hamed vs Kelley had happened in 2017, not 1997, it would have happened in the UK, because that's where it would have made the most money.

If Naz and Kelley were fighting now, Naz would be a huge Sky PPV star in the UK, and nobody in the US would know who Kelley was, except a few hard core boxing fans.

[ruedboy]

Nobody wanted to fight Kelley and Hamed came here to Kelley’s home town and kod him inside 4 rounds. Hamed came here. He came.

Definitely FOTY. Six kdns. I think both guys were down 3X and Naz got the last one. I gotta check that fight again soon.

[Raggamuffin]

The point is that if Hamed vs Kelley had happened in 2017, not 1997, it would have happened in the UK, because that's where it would have made the most money.

If Naz and Kelley were fighting now, Naz would be a huge Sky PPV star in the UK, and nobody in the US would know who Kelley was, except a few hard core boxing fans.

No offense but there is no ”if”. Hamed was making money at home. He couldve brought everyone there. He came here to make a big splash and he came for respect. His own words!

[Raggamuffin]

Definitely FOTY. Six kdns. I think both guys were down 3X and Naz got the last one. I gotta check that fight again soon.

I still watch this fight.

[ruedboy]

I still watch this fight.

yeah, it's a classic.