Naseem Hamed

Biography

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.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.