Prince Naseem Hamed has named one of the primary factors that contributed to his defeat against Marco Antonio Barrera.
The pair squared off back in 2001, years after Hamed had split with Brendan Ingle, his longtime trainer, and joined forces with Emanuel Steward.
With Ingle in his corner, ‘Naz’ had captured the WBO world featherweight title by dethroning Steve Robinson with a scintillating eighth-round stoppage victory in 1995.
After that, the charismatic showman would make 11 defences of his belt, including an iconic fourth-round finish over Kevin Kelley, before ending his fruitful relationship with Ingle.
Then, while operating under the tutelage of legendary trainer Steward, Hamed had made a further four title defences ahead of his clash with Barrera.
Because of his resounding success at 126lbs, the Sheffield man was made a sizeable favourite against Barrera who, back then, had not yet completed his rivalries with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales.
But despite his underdog status, the Mexican ultimately gave Hamed by far his toughest night’s work, eventually claiming a deserved unanimous decision victory.
Since then, though, ‘Naz’, who had earlier vacated his WBO title, has insisted that his preparation was far from ideal for such a significant showdown in Las Vegas.
Speaking with Froch On Fighting as part of the promotional run for the biopic Giant, the British boxing legend revealed that his battle with the scales represented the most gruelling challenge prior to fight night.
“It was impossible to prepare [for Barrera], because eight weeks to lose 2.5 stone [35lbs] was virtually impossible.
“The first day [of camp], Oscar Suarez, who was my trainer [alongside Steward] then, said: ‘Right, let’s weigh you’. I was 11 stone [154lbs], and he said to me, ‘Right, we’ve got this nutritionist and you’re going to live on 500 calories a day.
“From the start of training camp to the last day of training camp – going to Vegas – I still didn’t make the weight.
“I was so weight-drained, and it was dangerous, but I just always thought in my heart that there was no way [Barrera] was going to knock me out, or stop me.
“And I always thought: ‘He can’t go 12 rounds without me catching him’.”
Following his sole defeat to Barrara, Hamed would have one more outing, a points victory over Manuel Calvo, before hanging up his gloves in 2002 as a British boxing legend.
