5 Nights to Remember in the Career of Prince Naseem Hamed

Naseem Hamed rarely failed to entertain during his career.

Thanks to his ring entrances, his unorthodox style and his explosive, one-punch power, Prince Naseem quickly became a star.

Many loved him for his talent. Others loathed him for his antics. Either way, Hamed got people—not just fight fans, but also the general public—talking about the sport.

The Sheffield-born boxer retired with a 36-1 record as a professional, with 31 of his victories coming via knockout.

Hamed—who developed his skills in the Wincobank gym belonging to trainer Brendan Ingle—turns 41 on Feb. 12.

To celebrate, here are five fights that helped make Hamed so special. Feel free to leave your own memories via the comments section.

1. Steve Robinson (September 30, 1995)

Moving up to featherweight for the first time in his career, Hamed turned on the style to stop Steve Robinson in Cardiff in 1995.

The Arms Park was a raucous venue but despite going up against the home favourite, Prince Naseem simply fed off the atmosphere to become WBO champion at the age of 21.

Robinson had claimed the vacant belt in 1993 and had already made seven successful defences, including beating Colin McMillan and Duke McKenzie.

However, he simply had no answer to the skills of Hamed.

The Yorkshireman dominated throughout and knocked the reigning champion down in the fifth round.

Somehow, Robinson survived through to the bell to carry on, though it was only a case of delaying the inevitable.

The end of the one-sided fight finally came in the eighth, with the referee stepping in to prevent the Welshman from taking any further punishment.

2. Tom Johnson (February 8, 1997)

Hamed had defended the WBO strap four times before coming up against Tom Johnson in a unification fight in London in 1997.

American Johnson arrived as the holder of the IBF belt, a title the man nicknamed Boom Boom had already defended 10 times.

The Detroit native, though, saw his time as champion come to an end in the English capital.

Hamed produced a devastating uppercut to drop Johnson in the eighth round. Although he made it back to his feet in time to beat the count, the referee waved off proceedings.

Quick wins over Billy Hardy and Juan Gerardo Cabrera followed for Hamed before he then relinquished the IBF title.

Johnson, meanwhile, would never challenge for a world title again during the remainder of his professional career. He would end with a 51-10-2 (28 KOs) record.

3. Kevin Kelley (December 19, 1997)

Hamed certainly made a splash in his American debut late in 1997.

His seesaw battle with Kevin Kelley only lasted four rounds, but those inside Madison Square Garden, or watching at home on television, would not be disappointed.

The decision to keep his hands low against Kelley proved costly for Hamed at the end of the first round, as he was knocked down in the final minute.

A left hand then forced him to touch the canvas with his glove in the next, and he did the same again in the fourth to have to take a standing count for a third time.

However, Kelley himself also had issues staying upright in what was a thrilling encounter.

Having been down once in the second and then again in the fourth, the Flushing Flash was finished off with a superb left hand from Hamed.

It was short and sweet on opening night in New York for the Sheffield boxer, though it proved to be the only time he fought in the famous venue.

4. Vuyani Bungu (March 11, 2000)

Hamed was at his sparkling best when he took on Vuyani Bungu in March 2000.

His entrance to the ring was impressive enough, with the reigning WBO champion flying down on a magic carpet at the Olympia in London.

He did walk the final few steps to the ring, accompanied by musician Sean Combs (P. Diddy).

Yet while he was still unbeaten, Hamed went into the fight against Bungu—a world champion at super-bantamweight—under pressure.

In his last three fights, he had been made to work hard to keep his perfect record.

Wayne McCullough and Cesar Soto both took him the distance, while Scarborough’s Paul Ingle lasted through to the penultimate round in their Yorkshire derby in Manchester.

However, Hamed silenced his critics by becoming the first man to beat Bungu inside the distance.

He dominated from the outset before putting an end to the South African’s challenge in the fourth round, the final punch being a superb left hand straight down the middle.

5. Marco Antonio Barrera (April 7, 2001)

After 35 wins, Hamed met his match in the form of Marco Antonio Barrera in April of 2001.

Having given up the WBO featherweight title, the British boxer travelled to Las Vegas to try to claim the IBO version at the MGM Grand.

However, his preparations ahead of the bout with Barrera—a teak-tough world champion at super-bantamweight—did not go according to plan.

Weight issues drained him beforehand, while a problem with his right glove (h/t The Telegraph) led to a delayed start to the main event.

After opting not to do his usual somersault entrance into the ring, Hamed was made to look foolish by the Mexican, often swinging wildly as he struggled with his timing.

Barrera was simply quicker, both in mind and body, throughout the contest, meaning he could even afford to be deducted a point in the final round for intentionally slamming Hamed’s head into a turnbuckle. 

Hamed was gracious in defeat and initially insisted he wanted a rematch.

Instead, he next fought Manuel Calvo over a year later. The points victory over the Spaniard would prove to be his final outing.