Naseem Hamed is heralded as one of the most fan-friendly fighters of all time, famed for his unique style that showcased the very best of his speed, footwork and power, but when it came to naming the greatest fighters in boxing history, ‘Prince Naz’ named one man as ‘the ultimate goat’.
Hamed’s rise to superstardom was one that had fight fans split; some adored his confidence and trash-talking antics, while others were put off by his arrogance. Either way, everyone tuned in as he breathed new life into the featherweight division.
The Wincobank superstar picked up each of the WBO, IBF and WBC titles as he breezed through the 126lb division, regularly fighting on pay-per-view despite previous domestic disinterest in the lower weight divisions.
Yet, in 2001, Hamed finally met his match and suffered a first career defeat, out-thought and out-fought by Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera.
‘Naz’ would fight only once more after that, as 11-million fans tuned into Sky Sports and watched him score a decision win over European champion Manuel Calvo in what proved to be his career finale, later citing hand injuries as the reason behind his retirement at the age of just 28 years old.
Now, almost 30 years after Hamed predicted that he would be remembered as a greater fighter than Muhammad Ali, he told BBC Sport that Ali is the ‘ultimate goat’.
“[Ali is the] ultimate goat, ultimate goat. One more time, ultimate goat!”
Ali remains as the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion in boxing history, with his wins over Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman forever remembered as some of the sport’s most iconic moments.
