Naseem Hamed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Naseem Hamed
Hamed in 1997
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Prince Naseem Naz
Rated at	Bantamweight Super-bantamweight Featherweight
Height	5 ft 3 in
Reach	63 in
Born	(1974-02-12) 12 February 1974 (age 51) Sheffield, England
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	36
Wins by KO	31
Losses	1

Naseem Hamed (born 12 February 1974) is a famous British former professional boxer. People often called him Prince Naseem or Naz. He boxed from 1992 to 2002.

Naseem Hamed was a world champion in the featherweight division from 1995 to 2000. He was even considered the best featherweight boxer in the world from 1998 to 2001. In 2015, he joined the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which is a huge honor for boxers.

Hamed started his professional boxing journey at 18 years old in 1992. He quickly won several important titles. In 1994, he became the European bantamweight champion. A year later, he won his first world title, the WBO featherweight title. He also won the IBF featherweight title in 1997 and the WBC featherweight title in 1999.

In 2001, Naseem Hamed lost his first and only fight to Marco Antonio Barrera. He fought one more time in 2002, winning the IBO featherweight title.

Hamed was known for his exciting and unusual style. He had amazing ring entrances, like coming in on a flying carpet or a lift. He would also do a somersault over the ropes into the ring. His boxing style was very athletic and powerful, with many knockout wins. He was a big star in British pop culture in the 1990s. Many people say he inspired British Asians to get involved in boxing.

Early Life and Start in Boxing

Naseem Hamed was born in Sheffield, England, in 1974. His parents were from Yemen. He grew up with eight brothers and sisters.

From a young age, it was clear he had a special talent for boxing. He trained at Brendan Ingle's Wincobank gym. His unique and flashy southpaw (left-handed) style made him stand out.

Professional Boxing Journey

Early Years in the Ring

Hamed began his professional boxing career in 1992. He started in the flyweight division. He quickly became famous for knocking out many opponents early in their fights.

When he was 20, he won the European bantamweight title. He beat Vincenzo Belcastro over twelve rounds. After defending that title once, he won the WBC International super-bantamweight title in 1994. He stopped Freddy Cruz in six rounds. Hamed's exciting style made him very popular, even though some people didn't like his showmanship.

Becoming a World Featherweight Champion

Winning the WBO Title

In 1995, Hamed moved up to the featherweight division. He fought Steve Robinson for the WBO featherweight title. Hamed was very strong in the fight. He knocked Robinson down in round 5. The referee stopped the fight in round 8 after Hamed landed a powerful left hook. Hamed won his first world title! This fight happened in Cardiff, Wales, in the rain. It was also the first time Hamed badly hurt his hand, which became a problem later in his career.

Defending His Titles

Hamed's next fight was against Manuel Medina in Dublin. It was a tough fight for Hamed. He knocked Medina down in round 2. He knocked him down two more times in the 9th round. Medina's corner stopped the fight at the end of round 11. Hamed later said he had a bad cold during the fight.

Hamed with his WBO featherweight title at a World Wrestling Federation event in Sheffield Arena, England, 1997

In 1997, Hamed fought Tom Johnson in London. Johnson was the IBF champion. Hamed won by knockout in the eighth round. This meant Hamed held both the WBO and IBF featherweight titles! His first defense of these titles was a quick first-round knockout against Billy Hardy. Hamed then easily beat Juan Gerardo Cabrera in two rounds. He later had to give up his IBF title because of boxing rules.

In October 1997, Hamed had a great performance in his hometown of Sheffield. He defended his WBO title against Jose Badillo. Badillo's corner stopped the fight in round 7.

Fighting in the USA

Later in 1997, Hamed made his big debut in the United States. He arrived in style on the British Airways Concorde. He fought Kevin Kelley in New York City. It was a very exciting fight! Hamed was knocked down three times, but he kept fighting. He knocked Kelley down for the third time and won by knockout in the fourth round. This was his first of many fights shown on HBO.

In 1998, Hamed had more big wins. He beat Wilfredo Vazquez and Wayne McCullough. He also beat future IBF champion Paul Ingle.

In October 1999, Hamed fought Cesar Soto in Detroit, USA. Soto was the WBC featherweight champion. Hamed won after 12 rounds, adding the WBC title to his WBO title. He later chose to give up the WBC title to focus on being the WBO champion.

In March 2000, Hamed knocked out Vuyani Bungu in London. It was one of his most impressive wins. He finished the fight with a single powerful left punch.

Hamed's last defense of his WBO title was in August 2000 against Augie Sanchez in the USA. Hamed won with a huge knockout in the fourth round. He broke his hand badly in this fight. After surgery, he was out of the gym for six months and gained weight. He then gave up his WBO title to prepare for a huge fight with Marco Antonio Barrera.

The Barrera Fight

On April 7, 2001, Naseem Hamed fought Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas. Barrera had trained very hard for this fight. Hamed's trainer, Emanuel Steward, was worried because Hamed hadn't taken his training as seriously.

Barrera gave Naseem Hamed his first and only loss. Barrera won the fight after 12 rounds. Hamed found it hard to land his famous left punches because Barrera moved well. Barrera threw more punches and better combinations. Barrera won by a unanimous decision from the judges. This fight was a huge event and made a lot of money.

Final Fight

On May 18, 2002, Hamed returned to the ring for his last boxing match. He fought Manuel Calvo in London for the IBO World featherweight title. Hamed won the fight after 12 rounds, but he looked slow and not very interested. The fans even booed him.

Hamed was only 28 years old when he stopped fighting. For years, he didn't say if he had officially retired. He later explained that he stopped boxing because of ongoing problems with his hands, including many broken bones and surgeries.

Life Outside the Ring

Naseem Hamed is a Muslim. He often said a special prayer, the Takbir, before his fights. He was a proud Muslim who was popular with many people in Britain. His last fight was watched by 11 million people on TV.

In 1998, he married his girlfriend, Eleasha Elphinstone, who had become a Muslim.

Hamed earned a lot of money from his fights and endorsements. By 1997, he was earning $14 million a year. By 2001, he had made about £50 million. He was one of the richest British boxers.

Naseem Hamed's two sons, Aadam and Sami, are now training to become professional boxers, following in their father's footsteps.

Hamed's Impact and Legacy

Many boxing experts believe Naseem Hamed had huge potential. Boxing promoter Frank Warren said Hamed was "the most exciting fighter" he had ever worked with. Some say his dislike for long training camps stopped him from becoming an even greater legend.

Hamed's exciting style made him a new face for lighter-weight boxers. His charm attracted many fans. In 2002, the British public voted Hamed's win over Kevin Kelley as one of the "100 Greatest Sporting Moments."

Many experts consider Hamed one of the greatest British boxers of all time. The Ring magazine also ranked him as the 46th greatest puncher ever. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Cultural Influence

Of Yemeni descent, Hamed featured in a 1995 Yemen postage stamp

Hamed is seen as one of the most successful and important British fighters. Boxing trainer Emanuel Steward said Hamed "opened the door" for British fighters to earn a lot of money. His earnings were much higher than what featherweights usually made. His nephew, SugarHill Steward, said Hamed's "flair and skill and confidence" inspired a whole generation of fighters.

Hamed, who has Yemeni roots, is also praised for inspiring British Asians to get into boxing. He inspired many world champions in boxing and MMA, like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Conor McGregor, and Floyd Mayweather.

Hamed was even mentioned in a song by the hip-hop artist Nas. Hamed himself recorded a song with the group Kaliphz called "Walk Like a Champion."

He also had a video game called Prince Naseem Boxing for the PlayStation console in 2000. A character named Prince Naseem was also inspired by him in the fighting game Ehrgeiz. In the Japanese manga series Hajime no Ippo, a character named Bryan Hawk is based on Naseem Hamed.

A film about Hamed and his trainer Brendan Ingle was announced in 2023. Sylvester Stallone is one of the executive producers.

Professional Boxing Record

Television Viewership

Pay-per-view Bouts

Naseem Hamed held the record for pay-per-view sales in the UK for a while.

See also

• List of world featherweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of WBO world champions
• List of IBO world champions
• List of European Boxing Union bantamweight champions