By Peter Cameron, Sunday 21th March 2006: July 1995 was a fine month to be British. Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Lennox Lewis and Naseem Hamed all had fights in July 1995. All four won, each by knockout or stoppage. It was the last time this fabulous quartet ever fought in the same month. Over a decade later and Benn and Eubank have long since retired, whilst big Lennox finally hung up his gloves in June 2003. Hamed never officially quit the fight game but his lengthy absence from the ring suggested he too was gone for good. Or so we thought.
Then in November 2005 Hamed announced he was back. Seismic waves of anticipation reverberated around the boxing world as Hamed spoke of a possible six-fight contract with an American television network. He had often mentioned comebacks before, but this time was different. There was extra purpose in his words. The message was clear; this time he meant it..
“I’ve really missed boxing because I’ve been doing it for a hell of a long time, and I consider myself not bad at it. But then again I think boxing has missed me and it’s time to get back and do some stuff. My confidence has never really gone. I’m raring to go after a good three-year lay-off. I believe I can be even better.”
On hearing the news, Emanuel Steward added to the excitement by saying “Hamed can be world champion again”. Steward, involved with Hamed from 1999 to 2001, continued “It depends on how he’s going to approach training. When he did train he trained extremely well, he’s a good trainer. If he trains hard, I don’t think it will take him more than three months (to be ready).”
Hamed’s place in history is already secure. Arguably the most naturally talented boxer ever to emerge from these shores, Hamed’s mix of unorthodox brilliance and infuriating braggadocio made him the biggest draw in boxing outside of the heavyweights. Everywhere he went, Hamed generated commotion and controversy. His debut on American soil contained a 10 minute ring walk and six knockdowns, himself visiting the canvas on three occasions before finishing off Kevin Kelly in the fourth round of a candidate for Fight of the Year. For Hamed’s fight against Wayne McCullough on 31st October 1998, HBO spent £70,000 erecting a mock graveyard for Hamed to prance through on his ring entrance. Against Vuyani Bungu he descended into the ring on a flying carpet. Hamed could just about get away with these ridiculous antics because he produced the goods in the ring. He had unnatural power for a featherweight, and the balance of a ballerina. His speed, like his shorts, imitated a leopard.
Not since Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987 has a comeback been so eagerly anticipated. The return of the Prince would potentially see British boxing, already experiencing a renaissance thanks to Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton, become more popular than ever. Throw in the new kids appearing, led by Kevin Mitchell and Amir Khan, along with some exciting, if limited, heavyweights, and it could be argued that British boxing has never been healthier.
Unfortunately this is overlooking some crucial, show-stopping facts.
Emanuel Stewart could not have seen Hamed in the flesh recently, otherwise he would have re-evaluated his “three months to be ready” claim. In recent television appearances Hamed has resembled the Michelin Man, far too heavy for the featherweight division he once occupied. Unless Hamed manages to lose this excess baggage, he may find himself sharing a ring with Ricky Hatton or Floyd Mayweather of the welterweights, a division of relative giants compared to his own 5ft 4&1/2 inch frame.
Hamed has not been seen in a ring for nearly four years, which is an eternity in boxing. With the exception of the Muhammed Alis and Sugar Ray Leonards of this world, four years is far too long a lay-off. For all the optimism, the reality is that there is more likelihood of a Labour donor not receiving a peerage than there is of Hamed ever recapturing his former magic.
The world has changed beyond recognition during Hamed’s disappearance. At the time of Hamed’s last fight, Audley Harrison was still considered a hot prospect; Lennox Lewis was the number one heavyweight in the world (although he probably still is); Tyson was still scary; Roy Jones was unbeatable and ruling the pound-for-pound ranks; nobody had ever heard of Amir Khan. Away from boxing, the invasion of Iraq was still just a discussion topic for Republican think tanks, and George Bush was still popular.
Whilst there are calls for Lennox Lewis to dust down his gloves and clean up the pollution which saturates the heavyweight division, at nearly 41 years of age and inactive since June 2003, he could never recreate the peaks of his prime. For Hamed, given the brilliant fighters that now reside in the lower weights, the task would be even greater. The painful truth is that, despite all the excitement a comeback would generate, Hamed would be sensible to remain in retirement.
The arrival of Amir Khan has brought back memories of Hamed’s own rise through the ranks, and perhaps it stirred something inside The Prince. Perhaps he felt some envy, or a desire to be back in the limelight again. Now that Frank Warren has rejoined terrestrial television, boxing’s profile is surging and maybe Hamed simply wanted to be part of all the buzz.
Even so, he would be wise to listen to the words of Barry McGuigan, himself a former featherweight world champion and now commentator for ITV; “My advice to Naseem is to stay retired and enjoy your life. It’s very difficult to go back and recapture that hunger again. He can maybe get into shape but it is a different thing being fighting fit. He earned a fortune, he has a safe amount of money and has a comfortable existence.”
July 1995 was a fine month to be British. Benn, Eubank, Lewis and Hamed would probably all feature in an all-time top ten list of British boxers. Indeed www.boxrec.com ranks Hamed as the second best featherweight ever (although its bizarre rating system also has Ezzard Charles as the greatest heavyweight!). A decade later and In Calzaghe and Hatton, the British fight scene is in safe hands. Whilst the return of Hamed would initially feel like a reconciliation with a long-separated wife, ultimately it would be a deflating experience.
This author can be contacted at peterrcameron@hotmail.com