How the mighty have fallen

By Mark Porter

It is often said in boxing that a great champion is defined not by how he wins but rather the manner in which he responds to adversity, specifically the setback of a defeat. A case in point in recent weeks was brought back into focus with the high profile trial and subsequent imprisonment of Prince Naseem Hamed for charges related to reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Hamed, still only 32, could still be fighting today. Based on talent alone, he might even have been considered a modern icon. The problem was that the Prince was always a great ‘on top’ fighter and struggled when forced to dig deep. True, he came through his superbly entertaining U.S. debut at Madison Square Garden in December 1997, climbing off the deck to halt Kevin Kelley in the fourth – but in the main, Hamed’s brilliant reflexes and incredibly fluid movement (not to mention power rarely seen in a small man) had combined with occasionally cynical matchmaking to make the man appear almost unbeatable in the eyes of many in the U.K.

Naz was one of those rare men in boxing who transcended the sport and was known to the man in the street. Unfortunately, his propensity to pose, preen, taunt, brag and decry his victims was never done with the tongue-in-cheek humour and wit of the late 1970s vintage Ali. Whilst Ali had started out brash and arrogant, he had mellowed into a character that the public could love. Partly through admiration that he had stuck to his guns for a cause he utterly believed in and also partly because he came back from the brink of oblivion on more than one occasion to re-invent himself and re-write his legend.

Naseem Hamed stood on the precipice but once in his entire professional career. For the many who tuned into his ridiculously over-the-top flying carpet ring entrances to see him lose (and there were thousands) – Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia – to give him his full name - was the answer to their dreams. The Jalisco, Mexico native could box, brawl and do it all.

He had come back from the shock of two back-to-back defeats to Junior Jones (the first by DQ) and simply resumed business the way he had left off – by winning.

Styles make fights, true enough. Character moulds champions.

Barrera had seen too much to be worried about Hamed’s shameless attempts to gaud him in the build up, often appearing more surprised than insulted and duly out boxed Hamed for most of the twelve rounds. Out gutted him, outlasted him, outfoxed and outclassed him. On that final point, you can add ‘class’ to the way Marco conducted himself out of the ring too – something that Naz has never been able to do. Now I am not going to be so trite as to compare a car accident that almost deprived a man of his life with any events that have unfolded in the ring during the career of Hamed.

However, at the risk of enraging Hamed’s loyal legion of fans – for there are still many! – I might suggest that the manner at which Hamed responded to his public beating at the hands of a superior fighter had enough clues there to suggest that his psyche was always much more fragile than he would have us all believe.

I am sure there are those that would say the clues of a fairly low self esteem were there from the beginning in his need to humiliate his opponents rather than beat them, to verbally insult them at every turn and to insult other British boxers outside of his weight class who he thought may be taking too much of the public’s attention at the time (Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn).

Perhaps the problem was that the precocious youngster that former trainer Brendan Ingle used to delight in telling stories to the media about (Ingle recently went on record as saying that he watched Naz become “a horrible person”) remained just that. Namely a youngster, unable to face defeat with dignity, unable to blame himself for his setbacks.

Since his public undressing at the MGM Grand back in April 2001, Naz has fought just once more. One year and one month on, he took Manuel Calvo to school for a shutout decision in London but did not appear to have any real desire for the sport anymore. He looked content with the decision when it appeared as though he would easily stop his opponent.

He has often spoken of a comeback since but that now looks even less likely than it did in recent months as his weight ballooned and his domestic life appeared to be happy and settled, thus negating the ‘need’ to box again.

Barrera has since done what has come naturally to him. Faced all comers with guts and glory and assured himself a place in the Hall Of Fame in Upstate New York when he finally hangs ‘em up. Marco recently squeaked past Rocky Juarez and his response has been characteristic. They will meet again on September 16th. Appropriately enough, at the MGM Grand – the site of one and only real ‘gut check’ of Hamed’s career.

All I know is this; as Barrera sets about putting the final touches to his legacy as a modern great – and make no mistake, that is exactly what he is, The Prince is left to wonder about what could have been had his attitude scaled the same impossibly grandiose heights as his physical talent.

His record was a brilliant 36-1 (31) and yet he still managed to leave us with the sense that he did not quite justify the undying faith that so many had in him.