Hatton Aims For Un-Hamed Like Finish

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Ricky Hatton aims to end his career on a high rather than the sudden disappearing act made by Naseem Hamed shortly after his defeat to Marco Antonio Barrera and semi comeback fight against Manuel Calvo.

Last week Hatton stated that his new motivation is to prevent a Hamed-like ending to his career.
“Naz had his comeback fight which wasn’t one of his best and we never saw him again,” he told the Daily Mail. “I don’t want the memories of my career to be put on the back burner because people say: ‘The minute he got beat he was never the same’.”

Hamed Wants Rematch

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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.

Hardy On Naseem Barrera Fight

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Prince Naseem can blow Marco Antonio Barrera away with his sheer power. That is the verdict of the man who had his nose and cheekbone broken in one round by the Sheffield fighter four years ago.

Former European featherweight champion Billy Hardy was the victim of Naseem’s breathtaking punching power in 1997, losing the fight inside one round, and that experience has led the Sunderland man to tip Naseem for a fight that has fans split down the middle in their predictions.
While some believe the elusive movement combined with the one-punch knockout ability of Naseem will be too much for his Mexican opponent, others think that the relentless ‘in-your-face’ style of Barrera will test Naseem’s stamina like never before and could lead to the Briton’s first defeat as a professional.

The experience of four years ago still sends shivers down the spine of Hardy though, and he can see only one winner.
“He fractured my nose and cheekbone in one round so I know he is a force to be reckoned with. I believe Naseem will become a legend in boxing,” he told Sky Sports.com TV. “He will face a very stiff test but I think he will come through it because he has got awesome power.
“It is amazing how he can move around the ring and jump at you from nowhere. You think he is six or seven feet away from you and then suddenly he’s on top of you.
“He is great for boxing. Barrera has got power but he is stepping up a division from super-bantamweight to make this fight. The power is with Naseem.”

As for a prediction, Hardy is adamant: “Naz will win it in the ninth.”

Watt On Hamed Barrera Fight

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Ex-world champion Jim Watt believes that 27-year-old Prince Naseem Hamed has
come of age. “He is now more matured and a better fighter,” describes Watt.
Furthermore, he believes Naz has the ability to finish Marco Antonio Barrera
off with one punch and says the best of Naz is yet to come.
Previewing the event, live on Sky Box Office, Watt said: “The only criticism
I’ve made of Naz over the years is that he hasn’t really mixed it in the
premier division. He’s a world champion whose held a world title for five
years, and yet he’s still suffering critiscism. Barrera is a top notch
fighter, a super bantamweight, he’s come up in weight and it’s going to be a
super fight.”

Watt believes that Naz holds a weapon to take his opponent down: “I think
Naz’s power is going to be the key. If you took away Naz’s power it would
make Barrera a big favourite.

“I think Naz will put in one of his best performances against Barrera. I
think he will change his tactics and I genuinely believe Naz has the power
to knock Barrera out with one punch. Barrera doesn’t have that power and
that tips the scales in Naz’s favour as far as I’m concerned.
“We’ve been saying for years that Naz is the best featherweight in the world
and I think Naz knows that himself and has proved that already. Naz has
handled all the fighters in the featherweight division with ease. Even
though Barrera has moved up to featherweight, Naz will not lose until he
steps up a division and I don’t think he has any plans to do that yet.
“When Naz first came on the scene, his boast was that he was going to win
world championships at three or four different weight catergories. But he
hasn’t said that for a long time so it’s maybe not fair to hold him to those
predictions. However, if he wants superstar status then he has to move out
of the featherweight division.

“I didn’t like Naz when he first came on the scene. I thought he was very
brash - but you have to remember he was only a kid. He is now a married man
with a family. He’s learning, he’s matured, he’s a better fighter and he’s a
better human being. I feel proud of Naseem Hamed now, I would say I am a fan
of his.”

Watt added: “Unfortunately, the impact that Naz has had over in America will
make people want to see him get beaten. He really has put up his worst
performances in the States. The Americans think Naz is not as good as he
thinks he is and would like to see him knocked down a step or two. A lot of
people want to see him fight but I’m not sure a lot of people want to see
him win.”

Watt predicts: “I think it will be a tremendous battle and it will go into
the last third of the fight and I think Naz will win by stoppage in either
the 8th or the 9th round.”

Hamed Barrera Fight

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naseem hamed v marco antonio barrera