Britain may never produce another fighter quite like Naseem Hamed, but even the sport’s most flamboyant showman believes one modern-day great exists on a different plane altogether.
The former featherweight star has been back on the interview circuit following red-carpet treatment for the biopic Giant, which charts his journey from Sheffield’s Wincobank gym to world championship glory under the guidance of the late Brendan Ingle.
Now 51, it is 24 years since Hamed last fought. His points victory over Manuel Calvo closed the curtain on a career that ended in far quieter fashion than the extroversion and spectacle that defined his prime.
At his peak, however, Hamed was one of boxing’s most compelling figures — a status he reaffirmed in October 1998 when he outpointed the rugged Wayne McCullough to retain his WBO featherweight title.
That same night, thousands of miles away, a 19-year-old flyweight was preparing for his first world title challenge. It was the beginning of a remarkable journey which, 28 years later, is still being discussed in reverential tones. Speaking to One on One Boxing, Hamed explained why he believes there will never be another Manny Pacquiao.
“Pacquiao changed our game, changed my sport. I love Manny Pacquiao. There’s nobody really in my game that can say that what he did they’ve done. Eight world titles at different weights, it’s unheard of, he’s on another planet.”
Although Pacquiao and Hamed never shared a ring, one common opponent would play a defining role in both of their legacies. In April 2001, Marco Antonio Barrera dismantled Hamed over 12 rounds, effectively ending both his unbeaten record and his aura of invincibility.
Two years later, Pacquiao announced himself to the wider boxing world by producing a one-sided demolition of the Mexican great — a performance that marked his true arrival at the sport’s elite level.
For Hamed, the contrast is impossible to ignore. For Pacquiao, it remains just one chapter in a career that redefined what was thought possible — and, in the eyes of the ‘Prince’, confirmed his place somewhere beyond boxing’s normal boundaries.
