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Naz: the Little Prince – the Big Fight
It's April 2001, and 'Prince' Naseem Hamed is about to fight the Mexican, Marco Antonio Barrera, in Las Vegas. At stake is the title of International Boxing Organisation (IBO) featherweight champion – and the reputation of 'Naz': is he an unbeatable fighter or just an exhibitionist? Before the match, Hamed faced 35 opponents and defeated them all, 30 by a knockout. But how would he fare in the biggest challenge of his career? 'All I want to do is win and become a victorious person in an unbelievable way.' Naseem Hamed was born in Sheffield in 1974 to Yemeni parents; he has described himself as 'a Yorkshireman first and a Yemeni second'. At seven, Hamed's potential was spotted at a local gym by Brendan Ingle, who would be his personal trainer for the next 17 years. Hamed won the National Schoolboy Boxing Championship five times and the junior Amateur Boxing Association title twice. Hamed's unique style was established early on. His great gifts as a fighter are the speed and agility with which he dodges blows and the power of his own punch; his strategy is to lure his opponent into attacking him, then exploit the vulnerabilities which this opens up. Add Hamed's self-confidence and sense of theatre, and the result is a fighter who disdains to keep up his guard. Instead, he dances around his opponent with his head up and his gloves at his sides, dodging every punch and waiting for the moment to land the knockout blow. For Prince Naseem, boxing is one part agility, one part power and one part psychological warfare. At 18, Hamed turned professional, in the bantamweight class; he now fights as a featherweight (126lbs or 57kg). He had six fights in 1992, 23 in the next five years and another six in 1998-2000; he won all 35, 14 of them inside two rounds. But success has bought criticism. Hamed has been called an exhibitionist, addicted to gratuitous acrobatics and flamboyant ring entrances; when he beat Said Lawal in 1996, his entrance lasted longer than the fight. Other boxers have dismissed Hamed as 'too cocky' and lacking 'sound boxing technique'. But for his fans, Hamed's histrionics are all part of the package. As for his technique, it's hard to argue with the scoresheet. When Hamed met Barrera, he had held the title of featherweight champion in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO), World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) rankings. 'Who else can I fear apart from Allah? I can't fear any human being.' Hamed spent six weeks training for the Barrera fight in a villa in Palm Springs, with moral and organisational support from his brothers Murad and Nabeel. Another brother, Riath, was already in Las Vegas. This was a bizarrely unsuitable environment for the brothers, who are devout Muslims; in Riath's words: 'If you don't drink, gamble or fornicate it's a very boring existence.' Riath made final arrangements for the fight. These included obtaining a pair of green goatskin boxing gloves from Mexico, after sending a representative there to inspect the production process. As Riath said, 'Whatever the Prince wants, the Prince will get.' For the last two weeks of training, the Hamed camp was joined by trainer Manny Steward. Steward supervised sparring sessions between Hamed and two Mexican fighters, chosen to reflect Barrera's style. Signs that the fight might not go to plan now appeared. Steward's impressions of Hamed's sparring sessions were poor; his punches were wide and badly controlled. After two weeks of sparring, the Hamed entourage flew to Las Vegas by private plane. The day before the match, Hamed was joined by his barber, his father and finally his wife Alicia and their two sons; they would spend the night before the match apart. On the day of the fight, Hamed decided against his green goatskin gloves, preferring the gloves Barrera had chosen. After a protracted argument between the two camps, both fighters wore gloves supplied by the management. The start of the fight was delayed by 45 minutes while Hamed chose and rejected several pairs. Finally, he entered the ring with an elaborate entrance routine. Dedicating the fight to Muslims around the world, Hamed pronounced the shahada, the Islamic affirmation of faith. But the fight went badly. Rather than charging forward and creating openings for Hamed, Barrera stood his ground and kept his guard up. His longer reach enabled him to attack Hamed without seriously exposing himself. Worse, Hamed's taunting made no impression on Barrera. Where other fighters had seen an infuriatingly untouchable opponent, Barrera saw only an unguarded chin – which he attacked repeatedly. It was Barrera who toyed with his opponent and Hamed who was lured forward. He tried finally to win the match with a knockout, but Barrera's guard was too good for him. After 12 rounds, the judges decided for Barrera; he took the IBO title, and Hamed's long winning run was over. 'Let's hope England likes me a bit more now I've lost.' Since the fight Hamed has kept a low profile. Initial demands for a rematch were quietly dropped. Plans to get him back into the ring last November were shelved after 11 September; it now looks as if Hamed will fight again in April 2002. Some believe that the Barrera defeat was the beginning of the end. 'The truth is that top fighters have worked him out,' says Steward, who has refused to work with Hamed again unless he has complete control of his training regime. The Barrera match hasn't ended Prince Naseem's career: one defeat in 36 fights is not a bad record. The main worry is that the loss of his aura of invincibility will undermine his legendary self-belief. Hamed may be on the verge of bowing out; alternatively, we may see the return of his cocky, dauntless showmanship, enriched with a greater tactical sense. In his next match, there will once again be everything to play for.
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