Hamed Calvo Fight Night

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Prince Naseem Hamed (35-1) met Spaniard Manuel Calvo (33-4-1) in London today for the final head-to-head press conference. They fight for the vacant IBO Featherweight Crown at the London Arena on May 18th.

Both had final words to say to each other and Hamed was back to his verbal best with a first round win predicted, ” I am going to win well, in devastating fashion- don’t blink in the second….minute” This would be against an opponent who has never been stopped in Calvo.

Calvo spoke through his interpreter, ” I will be the matador in this fight and when Hamed tries to attack me I will use my superior boxing skills to not only avoid him but also respond with some fast hands and good boxing.”

Asked whether he felt intimidated by a 14,000 army of UK fans screaming for Hamed he replied, “There may be 14,000 English in the crowd but there is just one Englishman in the ring and he cannot bring them into the ring when the bell sounds. I am ready to take the IBO Title and Hamed will be surprised by my durability and boxing skills.”

Hamed was remarkably quiet in his approach and responded, ” I am feeling better than ever and the sky is the limit for me now. People keep talking about my loss to Barrera but I know why I lost and it is history now. Saturday is a new chapter on my second reign as Featherweight champion of the world.”

Despite recent rumours Hamed looked lean and said he was well on course for his 17th world title fight to add to his previous collection of WBO, WBC and IBF Featherweight crowns in an interesting 36 fight career.

His prediction of a first round KO is brave after 13 months out of the ring but one thing Naseem Hamed is not and that is “Lacking in confidence”. May 18th will establish his credentials in a super-charged division on the world scene.

Naseem Hamed was forced to strip naked to make the weight for Saturday’s Sky Box Office showdown with Manuel Calvo after initially coming in five ounces overweight.

The Sheffield boxer did a ‘Full Monty’ after scaling 126lbs 5ozs at the weigh-in for the IBO featherweight world title bout against the Spaniard - 5ozs over the 9 stone limit.

Hamed, making his return to the ring after a 13-month absence following his defeat to Antonio Barrera last April, stripped off his bulky burberry shorts and even his wedding ring.

That had the desired effect and he topped the scales at 125lbs 14ozs at the second attempt.

But the ‘Prince’ was furious at having to sacrifice his dignity behind a white towel and harangued officials from the boxing board of control - apparently claiming stripping off in public is against his religion.

Promoter Barry Hearn admitted that Hamed “struggles generally to make the nine stone weight,” but he added: “If you want to put a positive spin on it, he has got all his power there. He is bang on the weight even with his shorts and wedding ring off.”

And Hamed’s trainer Oscar Suarez insisted: “There is no problem with the weight whatsoever. He has been a pound under the last three days.”

Earlier Calvo made the weight comfortably at the first attempt, scaling 125lbs 6ozs.

HBO will not be showing the Naz fight live but will be showing a delayed recording later on.

Manuel Calvo’s fight record is as below.

Record: 1992-2001
DATE	OPPONENT	WHERE	RESULT	TITLE
11/6-1992	Bernardino Da Costa	Bilbao	POINT 4	###
15/8-1992	Joaquin Conde	Almaraz	POINT 4	###
28/11-1992	Manuel Baroni	Leganes	TKO 1	###
16/1-1993	Joaquin Conde	Consuegra	TKO 1	###
12/2-1993	Juan Francisco Leiva	Almeria	POINT 6	###
2/4-1993	Jose Manuel Martinez	Santander	POINT 6	###
8/5-1993	Mohammed Erraysy	Oviedo	KO 3	###
15/7-1993	Jose Manuel Martinez	La Linea	POINT 10	Spanien Fjervægt
4/8-1993	Jorge Almeida	Almaraz	POINT 6	###
11/3-1994	Jose Manuel Martinez	Getafe	POINT 10	Spanien Fjervægt
22/4-1994	Boris Sinitsin	Getafe	POINT 8	###
4/11-1994	Roberto Mercedes	Cordoba	TKO 2	###
18/2-1995	Juan Leiva	Cordoba	(POINT	###
9/6-1995	Joao Queijas	Utrera	POINT 6	###
30/6-1995	John Irwin	Doncaster	(POINT 12)	WBO Int. Fjervægt
15/2-1996	Tibor Gabor	Madrid	KO 3	###
10/3-1996	Julien Lorcy	Paris	(POINT 10)	###
12/7-1996	Manuel D. Fatima	Hernani	TKO 4	###
30/8-1996	Luis Navarro	Mallorca	POINT 10	Spanien Fjervægt
7/3-1997	Johnny Diaz	Mallorca	POINT 8	###
22/8-1997	Plinio Miranda	Almeria	TKO 6	###
29/11-1997	Santiago Rojas	Porto	POINT 12	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
14/2-1998	Joao Queijas	Leganes	POINT 6	###
21/4-1998	Nigel Leake	Leganes	KO 4	###
16/10-1998	Adrian Ghiorgan	Leganes	TKO 3	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
6/11-1998	Pedro Guerra	Bilbao	TKO 4	###
4/12-1998	Adrian Parlogea	Ciudad Real	POINT 12	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
22/1-1999	Manuel D. Fatima	Leganes	KO 4	###
30/4-1999	Steve Robinson	Leganes	(POINT 12)	EBU Fjervægt
18/6-1999	Imrich Parlagi	Leganes	TKO 2	###
9/7-1999	Cristian Hodorogea	Vigo	TKO 5	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
8/10-1999	Theodore Kimou	Leganes	TKO 6	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
14/1-2000	Arcelo Diaz	Ripollet	POINT 8	###
11/2-2000	Juan Polo Perez	Barcelona	UAFGJORT 12	TWBA Transcont. Fjervægt
24/3-2000	Brahim Abouda	Leganes	POINT 8	###
28/7-2000	Omar Gonzalez	Ripollet	POINT 8	###
9/3-2001	Wilson Fontalvo	Ciudad Real	POINT 6	###
25/5-2001	Steve Robinson	Leganes	POINT 12	EBU Fjervægt

Hamed Fight Announcement

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Let’s Get It On! promoter Tony Holden revealed to FightNews that “In approximately two weeks in London, Prince Naseem Hamed will announce the details of his next fight at a press conference.”
Holden confirmed the fight will be an HBO telecast from London.
The opponent is yet to be determined, but Holden warned, “HBO is not going to let Naz have a soft touch.”
HBO plans to have The Prince back on the airwaves before Thanksgiving. The Prince has kept an out-of-character low profile since his stunning upset loss to Marco Antonio Barrera back in April.

“Naseem wanted time off for his family and his religion,” explained Holden. “To the average fight fan, Naz seems like the most arrogant, pompous fighter out there but he is a courteous, kind gentlemen behind the camera. When the cameras come on, Naseem becomes The Prince” stated Holden. “Naz knows he made mistakes with Barrera,” continued Holden. “Naseem is renewed with fire and passion. The Prince wants the winner of the Barrera and Morales fight.”

Holden stated that another cornerman will be added to work with trainer Oscar Suarez. Legendary Kronk trainer Emanuel Steward was separated from The Prince camp after fallout from the Barrera loss.

Hamed To Fight Tapia

· No Comments · Fights, News · fight, hamed, johnny, tapia

For Prince Naseem Hamed, the path back to a world title is beginning to take shape.

Word comes from New Mexico, the desert state in the American Southwest, that four-time world champion Johnny Tapia is in negotiations to fight the Prince for a title later this year.

Tapia recently signed a deal making Don King his promoter, and the arrangement looks as if it may pay huge dividends for the 34-year-old fighter.

Teresa Tapia, Johnny’s wife and business manager, revealed this week that Hamed is the final step in a three-fight plan that King proposed.

“‘Don wants us to fight the Prince in October. We’ve said yes to everything they’ve asked for so far,” she said.

“They want it in New York in October in Radio City Music Hall and at 126 pounds. Johnny has agreed to that.”

Neither fighter currently holds a title, but King is hoping Tapia will take care of that before October.

Tapia, 49-2-2 with 26 KOs, is scheduled to face Cesar Soto on 30 June in a non-title bout. Then, if all goes to plan, he will fight for a title in August against an as-yet unnamed opponent.

Provided Tapia wins those next two fights, Hamed will be waiting in October.

Tapia, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, could provide a stern test for the Prince. Since turning pro in 1988, he has earned a reputation as a warrior in the ring, not afraid of turning his fights into street brawls.

His proudest moment was probably his 1997 victory over hometown rival Danny Romero, which unified the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles.

His only two losses were both close 12-round decisions to Paulie Ayala, the first in 1999 and the second in 2000.

Tapia’s motto, “Mi Vida Loca,” translated “My Crazy Life,” is not a reflection on his choice of pop music. His life outside the ring has been tumultuous and difficult.

Both his parents were murdered before Tapia was ten years old, and his long-running battle with cocaine addiction led to a three-year suspension from boxing in the early 1990s.

Tapia may be slightly past his prime, but he is still a hardened ring veteran who will be more than a handful for Hamed.

Hamed Wants Rematch

· No Comments · Fights, News · barrera, fight, hamed, rematch

Naseem Hamed wants a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera - and says he is entitled to have one.

Minutes after suffering the first defeat of his professional career after 35 straight victories, Hamed revealed that it was in his contract to fight Barrera again for the IBO featherweight title.

“”I accept the loss but I will come back and beat him. I’ve got a re-match clause in my contract and
I’ll get the title back,” he told Ian Darke of Sky Sports ringside in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately for Naz if he fights the same way next time the result will be the same again.

Naseem Defeat Comments

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Hamed admitted: “He won clearly in my eyes. I didn’t box to the best of my ability, but credit is due to him.

“I’ll be back. I think I tried too hard, maybe the re-match can come by the end of the year. I’m going to relax a bit, take a bit of time off.

“I’m nowhere near as sad as I thought I would be. If that’s what’s written for me from Allah, that’s what’s written.

“All the success in the world to Marco in future, that is plain and simple.

“There was never a time when I thought it wasn’t going to be my night.

“I’ve knocked guys out in the 11th round before, late.

“If you try too hard and look for it, sometimes it’s not there.

“I had my mind focused on hitting him with certain shots and taking him out.

“Great fighters have lost before, great fighters come back. Marco’s been beaten three times.

“He came, he prepared, he boxed his fight, he boxed the right fight.

“I didn’t make the adjustments I wanted to make in that ring, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

“I knew he wasn’t going to charge me, I thought he was going to box.

“If he’d have rushed in, putting pressure on I think that’s when I would have got my shots off. That’s when I let rip.

“I tried so much to take him out, plain and simple. I tried boxing my fight and it didn’t work.

“Things didn’t feel right in there. I make no excuses, Marco boxed out of his skin.

“This was my first loss and I take it like a champion. It doesn’t mean much to me if I’m behind or not in a fight, the fact is that I hold these guns in my right and left hands.

“But they didn’t work the way I wanted them to work. He was still very strong in the 12th round.

“My idol, Muhammad Ali, got beat when nobody thought he would, and he came back and back to beat Joe Frazier. I’m planning to do a similar thing.”

Barrera said: “Hamed is very strong, but he is the Prince and I am the king.

“I’ve had a couple of bad decisions but today was my night. I beat him at his own game. Seven weeks training in the mountains at Big Bear, California paid off for me.

“It really was a mental fight, I really had to think about it. The fight was more mental than physical.

“We have a lot of time to think about what we are going to do, take time off, take a well-earned break.

Hamed’s promoter Barry Hearn observed: “The better man won on the night.

“It was a great fight from Barrera, and Naseem will go back to the training camp and get it right for the next time.

“In defeat, sometimes you find what sort of champion you’ve really got.

“We believe he will come back and be better for this defeat.

“Naz will be disappointed that he got tactically out-fought by Barrera.

“He prepared very well - it’s now up to Naz go back, learn, re-group, improve and come back and win, that’s obviously the plan.

“The re-match is a far bigger fight than the first one.

“Internationally, we are going to create a really huge event.

“This was an upset in terms of the betting odds, there will be a huge amount of public interest in a second fight.”

Hamed Beaten By Barrera

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Prince Naseem Hamed dramatically lost his throne and invincibility in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The acknowledged king of the featherweights could not find the consistency or power and was beaten by Mexico’s Antonio Marco Barrera on the biggest night of his life.

Barrera, boxed a superb professional fight, and his superiority was mirrored in a clear, unanimous points verdict which, as a bonus, won him the vacant IBO title.

Hamed went down by margins of 115-112 (twice) and a third verdict of 116-111 - that after Barrera had been deducted a point in the final round after slamming the Briton into the ring post.

Hamed had predicted a devastating knockout, but never looked likely to pull one off against the grim-faced Mexican.

It was Hamed’s first defeat in 36 fights, and this time the Prince could not find a way back after several rocky moments.

Hitherto Hamed had found the big weapons to pull him out of a crisis but Barrera’s class and experience made certain it was not to happen this time.

It was Hamed’s fifth appearance in America, and in the previous four he failed to completely impress.

It was a big disappointment for his band of travelling British fans, who from the first round, were drowned out by the noisy Mexicans.

Hamed made his usual elaborate entrance, Arabic music and fireworks accompanied his arrival into the arena on a sedan chair.

But soon Barrera found his chin, and Hamed was stung in the opening rounds. It was hardly the start Hamed wanted, but there were signs in the third that he was getting over those early problems.

Hamed jabbed and landed a short left and for a while Barrera’s work became untidy.

However, Hamed was caught again at the start of the fourth and had no chance to capitalise on the better work of the previous round.

In the sixth southpaw Hamed worked mostly from the orthodox stance to change his angle of attack, but still Barrera was bossing the action.

And in the eighth, Hamed was hurt by a short right counter and going into the final three rounds, Hamed badly needed the knock out he was predicting.

But Barrera was super-determined not to make a slip, and he cut off any chance of Hamed making a grandstand finish with a finishing flourish.

The boxing world now await Hamed’s next move.

Despite this major setback, he will still remain a big draw and be worth substantial cash to the men he fights.