Prince Naseem Hamed Bio & Career Stats

by Frank Monkhouse, 11 January 2024

Boxing is a marvelous sport, recognised and respected as such the world over. Can you imagine a world where we didn’t sit back and watch the drama of Mike Tyson’s brutal career unfold, either live at the time or today on recordings? No boxing would mean to Muhammad Ali, no Sugar Ray Leonard, no Floyd Mayweather or Floyd Paterson. To lovers of the noble art, it doesn’t bear thinking about. Thankfully, we’re blessed with a combat sport that’s almost as old as civilisation. Not only is it ancient, but it’s thriving with the sport in better health today than it has been for generations.

World boxing is fast-paced, unpredictable, and exciting. We love the sport, and millions worldwide tune into live television broadcasts from ringside in Las Vegas, Saudi Arabia, Australia and further afield. But there’s a special place in our hearts for British boxing, which is a vibrant and engrossing scene that has given us some memorable characters over the years. Remember the blood and thunder of The Dark Destroyer Nigel Benn? What about the polished boxing skills of Lennox Lewis, who helped put UK heavyweights back on the map following a period of drought?

British boxing is packed with rags-to-riches stories and loveable rogues. But this boxing mad island loves an entertainer, and we’ve had more than a few. Who could forget Chris Eubank Snr swaggering towards the ring while Tina Turner blasts out Simply the Best? Remember Kirkland Lang, the most underrated and gifted fighter ever to emerge from the tough streets of London? But when we’re speaking of entertainers, one man stands head and shoulders above the competition as a master of his craft, and we cover his career in detail on his page. 

Keep reading as we take a stroll down memory lane and reflect on the one and only ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, a man who changed British boxing forever.

Prince Naseem – a boxing legend

We must write this boxing feature differently from how we’ve covered any other name in our series of boxing articles, which include Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and the heavyweights. That’s because Naseem Hamed was different from all who went before and is surely unique to anything we’ll see in the future, even from his sons, who are now following in their father’s footsteps. Prince was one of a kind, a man with unrelenting self-confidence and belief. Some critics choose to call it arrogance, but it’s not arrogance if you can back it up. Naz certainly was as skilled a boxer as he was a fast-talker, and that’s what cemented his place in the history books.

He wasn’t the most experienced fighter and didn’t challenge the likes of Floyd Mayweather for a long career. No, Naz was more of a shooting star who burned brightly across the night sky before disappearing from sight, leaving viewers wishing for more. A shooting star doesn’t reappear and Naz didn’t hang around long enough to threaten his legacy. He went in, entertained, had fun, left an impression, and retired with his cash and intelligence intact. There was no ‘one last fight’ to see if he still had it and no going in as an opponent for the next big thing as a payday. No, as we said earlier and will continue to say throughout this article, Hamed was one of a kind, and was a firm favourite amongst boxing betting fans.

We also shine the spotlight on Hamed’s most memorable fights and the many awards he won in boxing, including British and world titles. Who were his notable rivals inside the sport of gentleman, what were the results of his last five bouts as a professional, where is he now, and what does the future hold? In short, this page has everything you need to know about Prince Nazeem Hamed, from his debut and breakthrough to that classic with Mexican warrior Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas. 

Prince Naseem’s Boxing Record

• Total fights: 37
• Record: 36-0-1 (31 KOs)

Prince Naseem Hamed retired in 2002 with a unanimous points win over Manuel Calvo at the London Arena in Millwall. Naz won the IBO world featherweight title that evening with a punch-perfect performance, ensuring his glittering career finished on a high, sending him off to the sunset. It wasn’t known at the time it would be Hamed’s final appearance in a professional boxing ring, and fans didn’t appreciate exactly what the sport lost the following day when the Prince who would become king ‘hung them up.’ It was a rollercoaster ride.

Hamed began a professional boxing adventure that would take him to the very pinnacle of the sport back in 1992. He beat Ricky Beard on debut at the Mansfield Leisure Centre in England, scoring a highly impressive second-round knockout. Prince was expected to win that contest, and he lived up to the hype, boxing with the kind of style, speed, and showmanship he would become famous for in the decade that followed. When a future superstar debuts, it’s often low down on the bill, and those in the crowd don’t know they’re witnessing the birth of a great, but they did that evening in Mansfield. Naz put on a show, laying down a marker for the early part of his career, and that provided a launchpad for his rise through the ranks towards the big time.

Prince had many big fights, but some of his most impressive wins came against Steve Robinson for the WBO title, Manuel Medina, Billy Hardy, Wilfredo Vasquez, Wayne McCulloch, and Marco Antonio Barrera. The latter was the only man to defeat Naz when winning a 12-round points decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2001, Hamed’s penultimate outing. Naz finished with 31 knockout wins, one defeat on a points decision; he contested 185 rounds and recorded an 86% knockout average, which is remarkable for a fighter of the smaller weights.

Strengths and weaknesses

What were Hamed’s strengths and weaknesses as a fighter? He certainly had a long list of strengths, including his power, southpaw stance, and unorthodox fighting style. When Naz burst onto the scene in the 90s as a cocky young man, opponents had never seen a style quite like his, and that made it difficult to defend against. 

If Naz was one of a kind, how would a champion gain experience and proper sparring for a title defence against the Prince? It wasn’t easy, and the Englishman always enjoyed the element of surprise over his opponents, especially in the early exchanges. Despite a unique boxing style that seemed to break all the rules, with Hamed often leaping off the canvas with both feet to land remarkable shots, he carried explosive power. Hamed scored KO wins in each of his first five contests, setting the pace for his career.

What were Hamed’s weaknesses? He certainly didn’t have many, as his final boxing CV shows. He fought the best opponents at the time, first in the United Kingdom and then across Europe, before taking on the world, dazzling audiences and winning millions of fans. But his balance did let him down against Barrera in that one career defeat, with the Mexican’s style ensuring he was compact, tight, and always poised to get off quick and hard punches. 

Barrera kept it simple, making Naz miss wildly and countering when he was off balance. That bout ended in a unanimous win for the Mexican, with the scorecards awarding him the bout by three rounds, three rounds, and five rounds.

Notable fights and honours

Naseem Hamed won a long list of respected titles during his career as he shot up the rankings to the head of the division. Becoming a world champion in any weight in any era is no mean feat, but Naz won belts as a featherweight in the 90s and early 2000s when the division was packed with talent, including some dangerous Mexicans. Hamed never looked out of place and helped make the featherweight division popular again, taking some of the limelight and attention from the always-popular heavyweight division and the other big weights. The era wouldn’t have been anywhere near as entertaining without Naz.

He had many notable fights, but the 1995 meeting with Steve Robinson always sticks in our heads as a real game-changer for Naz and a bout that announced his talents to fight fans across the United Kingdom. Hamed travelled to the Cardiff Arms Park as the underdog, outsider, and challenger to the home favourite’s belt. The crowd was against him, and many pundits expected Naz to come up short when sharing a ring with an experienced, strong, and confident champion. But the noble art rarely follows a script, and those in attendance at the Cardiff Arms Park saw something spectacular.

Naz dominated the champion in Wales that evening, building an early lead on the scorecards before turning up the heat and stopping Robinson inside eight rounds. It was a confident and impressive showing from Hamed, and the team celebrated hard on becoming the champion of the world. But it was just the tip of the iceberg of where the crazy journey would take them. The win over Robinson, although not widely considered to be his best performance or biggest victory, was as important a win as any on his CV.

Recalling the major honours won by Naseem Hamed isn’t easy, as there were so many, but we’ll now highlight the best. He lifted the European bantamweight belt, WBC International and super bantamweight, WBO world featherweight, IBF world featherweight, and the WBC world featherweight strap.

Main rivals

Prince Naseem Hamed wasn’t short of rivals during his time in boxing, but that’s because he was a talent. No average fighter has a famous rivalry. Hamed’s skill, confidence, and following ensured there was a challenger on every corner, and Hamed was a marked man in some quarters. Everyone wanted to fight him as he was the man on the top step. Many tried to defeat Naz, but only one fighter managed that feat: Marco Antonio Barrera. All others were blasted out inside the distance with a show of speed and power or given a boxing lesson and beaten on points before an audience in the millions.

The main rivalry of Naseem’s career is thought to be Barrera due to their controversial 2001 meeting in Las Vegas when the Mexican won on points. The build-up to that bout in Sin City was bad-tempered, with both men promising to knock the other out in devastating fashion. Naz believed he would win and dismantle his opponent’s Mexican fighting style. Bererra accused Naz of being wide open and easy to hit, vowing to knock him out, take his title, and leave his career in tatters. Neither gladiator managed to get the job done and score a KO, with Barrera winning comfortably on points.

Despite getting the win, Barrera had a point deducted in the 12th and final round for slamming his opponent’s head into the turnbuckle, like something you’d usually see in a WWE contest live on TV. Losing a point helped make things interesting in the closing stages, and Naz fans who had travelled from the UK to the US in support of their favourite hoped it would give their man a chance with the judges, but it wasn’t the case. When Barrera lost the point, he was already miles clear on the scorecards, meaning the flashpoint achieved nothing more than rubbing salt into the wounds of Naz and his faithful following.

Last five fights

Nazeem Hamed’s final five fights happened between 1999 and 2002, returning four wins and a defeat, with two of those victories coming in the distance.

He opened that five-fight run, probably unaware it would be the final bouts of his career. Naz beat Cesar Soto on points in Detroit with the WBC and WBO world featherweight titles on the line in a unification bout. It was a fascinating fight, but Naz won handily on the scorecards, adding another win to his already impressive run.

He then met Vuyani Bungu at the Olympia in Kensington, London, in March 2000 when defending his belt and won without fuss, scoring a fourth-round TKO. It was another perfect performance from Naz, and he followed it with another stunning stoppage in the fourth, beating Augie Sanchez in the United States. That remains one of Hamed’s best performances on foreign soil, stopping a highly ranked opponent early in the bout and making a mockery of what had been billed as a potential banana skin for the Brit.

After beating Sanchez to finally win over the American audience, Prince returned to Vegas to fight Barrera in April 2001, and that fight ended with Hamed suffering his first loss. It was a deserved win for Barrera, who would go on to become a pound-for-pound star and boxing Hall of Fame celebrity. The Mexican fought the right fight that evening, and there were no arguments over the decision. Hamed then finished on a high by doing as expected and beating Manuel Calvo in Millwall.

What the future holds for Prince

Prince Naseem Hamed is now retired from boxing and has lived an interesting life outside of the ropes. He spent many years on the fringes of boxing, failing to get involved in the sport in any major capacity, such as a pundit, official, or trainer. But all that has changed in the last few years, and Naz is back doing what he does best: entertaining the crowds. We often see him as a TV pundit giving his opinion on the best of the modern talent from the studio or ringside, and he’s also given the sport another reason to smile and cheer: his sons.

Hamed’s sons are now boxing and strutting their stuff on the professional circuit as they climb the ranks and attempt to emulate their famous father. Could we see Naz’s offspring follow a similar path to Chris Eubank Jnr or Conor Benn? It’s possible, and the next generation of fighting Hameds appears to be well on their way. They won’t enjoy the same element of surprise as their father, who burst onto the scene and caused carnage. That’s the price paid for their dad’s fame and success.

The next crop of Hameds has the skill, backing, knowledge, and support to make it big in the sport. We’ll see the inevitable comparisons between father and sons, but they must be allowed to find their way in the business, showcasing their fighting style, strengths, and weaknesses. If fans of Naz tune in expecting to see his sons decked out in leopard print, jumping the ropes, and dancing around the ring with low hands, they’ll be disappointed. But if they want to see fighters with promise, ambition, and natural talent, then there’s plenty to get excited about in the coming years.