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

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

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.

Espinosa Loses To Soto

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Naz’s chances of a fight with WBC Featherweight champion Luisito Espinosa look to have ended when he became former WBC champion after losing to Mexican Cesar Soto.

Ingle Tips Hamed Defeat

· No Comments · Fights, News · brendan, defeat, hamed, ingle

Naz’s ex-trainer Brendan Ingle has appeared in the paper saying that he believes Naz will suffer his first defeat soon.
Ingle says : “Naz could have won six, maybe seven world titles at different weights. He could have been the most fantastic fighter ever to come out of Britain, but he will not win three world titles now. There are fellas out there who will beat him and the dream will disappear.”