Prince Naseem Hamed: Former Boxing Champ Turned Chump "Guarantees" Comeback

Andrew Austin — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:36:15 -0400

The boxer formerly known as, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, was well known for his flashy ring entrances, unorthodox south paw fighting style, and his god-awful dance moves.

"Come next year I'm back." Hamed exclaimed. "He's back! I'm back!" He began preaching into the camera during an interview on Amir Khan in the UK.

So what exactly happened to this so-called champion since the interview aired in December of 2005?

On May 3, 2005, Hamed was arrested and charged with reckless driving. He was involved in a three-car collision near his home in Sheffield, England while driving his McClaren-Mercedes SLR.

On May 12, 2006, he was sentenced to 15 months behind bars and a four-year driving ban. Hamed served 16 weeks in jail, and was released under house arrest.

Wouldn't jail be a good time to start focusing on training to make that big comeback he talked about? He could easily work on his footwork by dropping the soap in the shower and running around like a little schoolgirl.

They probably don't have a heavy bag there, but I'm sure if he would have been kind enough to let Big Bubba pound on him, Bubba might have let him take a few swings.

Apparently, Hamed was too busy lifting chocolate dum-dums into his mouth to lift any real dumbbells.

One would think that this obnoxious, arrogant human being would fade away and settle down after all the years he spent exercising his mouth in and outside of the ring. His behavior in the ring was outlandish, and at times disrespectful to the sport of boxing.

His recent 50-pound weight gain makes talk of the comeback look even more like a joke.

"If I were to start training again, I would go back to my old fighting weight." Hamed stated.

For those of you that don't know Hamed's old fighting weight, or resume, let me tickle your pickle. In his prime, Hamed stood at a whopping five feet and four-and-a-half inches, and weighed in at 120 pounds.

He held the title of EBU European Bantamweight Championship, IBF Featherweight Championship, IBO Featherweight Championship, WBC Featherweight Championship, WBC International Super Bantamweight Championship, and WBO Featherweight Championship.

Before you look at the titles I just listed and say to yourself "Wow, he musta' been one amazing fighter," let me give you a little more information on this so-called champion.

As an amateur boxer, Hamed had 67 fights and a record of 62-5 (17 of his wins by way of knockout).

Hamed's professional career would be much different, not in terms of success, but in terms of his so-called, "knockout power." He accumulated 37 professional fights and maintained a record of 36-1 (31 by way of knockout).

There are a few things I would like everyone to take note of.

The first point that needs to be brought to your attention is the fact that he never once had a draw, ever. He had 104 fights throughout the course of his career, yet never scored a draw.

Secondly, what kind of boxer fights amateurs and records a knockout 25.3 percent of the time, then turns pro, (for those of you not following me, that means he's fighting the best boxers in the world) and knocks out 86 percent of his opponents?

Hmm…does anyone see where I'm going with this one?

I watched Naseem Hamed as he was coming up. While he was on top, I noticed that not all of his fights—but most of them—seemed fixed.

Yeah, that's right, I said it; his fights were fixed.

His so-called "knockout power," had died off by the end of his career.

My guess would be that his promoters and trainers were growing tired of this clown, and simply would not pay other fighters to take a dive.

In all of the research I have done, and all of the articles that I have read; it was clear to me that he's had a huge following of losers. Anyone who loyally follows this chump is obviously way off the reservation, just like Hamed.

Naseem Hamed's comments of a "comeback" are more than likely going to be short-lived, while making me laugh hysterically...much like his career.

Charles Barkley: Former NBA Star Running For Mayor?

Andrew Austin — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:31:21 -0400

The United States government is now on RED Alert as Hall of Fame Basketball Player and current TNT Analyst Charles Barkley is running for Mayor for the great historic town of Leeds, Ala.

Leeds, Alabama? I'm pretty sure the only thing Leeds, Alabama is famous for is...oh yeah, that's right, Sir Charles Barkley.

Big Chuckie broke the news to Jay Leno on a recent interview during the Tonight Show.

"I know I can do better than the people that are doing stuff there now." Barkley claimed. "We've got too many crooks on the City Council."

All right, big guy, you sound pretty motivated and excited about this. I get the impression that if you really put your mind to it, you can do anything. You can even raise your gambling debts to $400,000 and then tell Jay Leno, "Well, governor's down the line."

If I had to bet, oh let's say $400,000 on it, I would probably guess that the "crooks" in office in Leeds, Ala. don't have that much money owed to casinos, but that's just my opinion...I could be wrong.

The only thing that might be bigger than Barkley's mouth is the size of his Levi's. Let's not get it twisted here, folks. I love Charles' ridiculous comments and opinions as much as the next guy, but why in god's name are you running for Mayor?

Charlie...if you're seeking something fulfilling and rewarding, why don't you do the world a favor and just adopt a child from a Third World country like the rest of Hollywood... Angelina, Brad, Madonna... come on, man, get with the program. It's the cool thing to do nowadays.

His first order of business should be to lower the price of hamburgers and funnel cakes at the county fair. Okay, not quite, but you get the feeling that it's on his "To Do List." Other items include putting in a casino to fix his gambling addiction; tricking out the local ice cream truck; and making it slower so it's more convenient for him to track down.

I do not admire Charles Barkley, and I don't really know if many people should. However, I love to follow the silly things he does. The man is highly entertaining and has the best golf swing I have ever seen.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Austin

Prince Naseem Hamed: Former Boxing Champ Turned Chump "Guarantees" Comeback

Charles Barkley: Former NBA Star Running For Mayor?