‘Giant’ Movie To Revisit Prince Naseem Hamed’s Rise — And His Shocking Fall To Barrera
“Prince” Naseem Hamed will soon gain new fans, this courtesy of the forthcoming film Giant, set for release in the UK in January. “Naz” was a genuine superstar in the UK in his heyday, this when he was lighting up the featherweight division with his raw power, with his flamboyant style and personality. Make no mistake, Hamed wasn’t to everyone’s taste, with some loving him, and others loving the idea of seeing him beaten and humbled in the ring.
As fans of Hamed know, only one man ever beat him; this being the brilliant and clever Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera traded in his typical Mexican warrior fight approach when he dismantled Hamed in their April 2001 fight, Barrera boxing smartly, countering Hamed’s powerful but often wild punches.
Barrera’s Tactical Masterclass That Ended Hamed’s Aura
Barrera didn’t knock Hamed down or knock him out, but he sure bounced him around pretty good. Ahead on points and knowing it, Barrera even smashed Hamed’s head into a corner post late in the fight, losing a point but not caring too much. Yes, Hamed had indeed been humbled. And shocked. And beaten.
There was a rematch clause in place, and Barrera was more than willing to come to the UK, to Sheffield, Hamed’s hometown, to box “The Prince” again. The payday would have been huge, and Barrera knew he would beat Hamed again. But what did Hamed think? To this day, fans wonder what would have happened had Hamed, who was still close to his prime at age 27, done the right thing, if he had he done what the greats do and try and get his revenge.
Why Hamed Walked Away And Never Came Back
Barrera was disappointed as Hamed went into virtual hiding, never to be seen in the ring again apart from a little over a year after the loss in Las Vegas, this when Hamed laboured to a decision win over Manuel Calvo, the fight being soundly booed by the crowd (some of them leaving the arena before the dull fight had ended).
Barrera tried to talk Hamed into fighting him again, but “The Prince” wanted no part of a rematch.
“I told him, ‘Naseem, come on, we must fight again,’” Barrera said to me some years after he himself had retired. “But he told me he was finished with boxing. I told him I would come to the UK, but he told me no, that he was finished with boxing. I was surprised, I expected him to fight again.”
Is it fair to say the Barrera fight is Hamed’s career-defining fight? The loss, and Hamed’s refusal to try and avenge it, hurts his legacy, for sure. Hamed, who was having weight problems along with hand problems by 2001, initially said he wanted the rematch with Barrera. “No, I want him,” Hamed told Sky Sports in the ring after losing his unbeaten record, this when he was asked if any other fights interested him.
But Hamed changed his mind, his weight really did balloon, and he was a fighter no more. Had Hamed needed the money, had he still had the hunger, then maybe, if he had been able to lock himself away and push himself through an ordeal of a training camp (Hamed is said to have loathed roadwork), he would have given Barrera a far tougher time of things in a sequel. But would any version of Hamed have been able to beat the Mexican great?
Hamed, by the time he fought Barrera, was relying almost solely on his punching power, and when the bombs didn’t land, he basically had no plan-B. Even with legendary trainer Emanuel Steward working with him, Hamed was no match for Barrera, not really. It was somewhat close on the cards, but Barrera was a clear winner. Maybe Barrera would have improved on his performance had there been a rematch. Maybe Hamed was fearful of a second fight proving even worse for him, perhaps with him being knocked out or stopped.
Unfortunately, we will never know. Over the years, there have been a number of ‘what if’ return fights that failed to materialise, and Barrera-Hamed II is one of them.
Now, how will the forthcoming Giant movie cover the Barrera-Hamed fight and what came after?