How good could Naz of been?

Question

i still think he should of become britons greatest ever boxer, when emanual steward says hes the most naturally gifted fighter hes trained you listen

Answer 1

Here is EXACTLY How-Good he could have been in-a-nut-shell!

Take this example: on one occasion, not so long ago, he picked out a gleaming £40,000 vehicle from a prestige car dealer in Sheffield.

Later he waltzed back in to the showroom and told the salesman: "I want you to buy this back off me."

Hamed was offered £10,000 less than the original price because, like all cars, it had depreciated in value.

"No," he snapped. "I want you to buy it off me for the price I bought it."

"What are you talking about?" asked the astonished salesman.

"Look at the name on the log book," Hamed boasted. "I want the same money because the name Prince Naseem Hamed is on it, which means the car is worth a lot more."

At that point, says a friend of the salesman, the former boxer was "told where to go".

Such tales are commonplace in Sheffield. The phrase "Do you know who I am?" could have been invented for Hamed.

In fact, the name on his credit card is 'Prince Naseem Hamed', though the royal moniker is merely an affectation to gild a talent which has now evaporated.

On a trip to Los Angeles, he was mistaken for royalty in a store on Sunset Boulevard. Staff addressed him as ‘Your Royal Highness’. According to a friend: ‘Naz was happy to go along with it.’

At other times, he has been seen ‘showboating’ in one of his flash cars in the city. Until he wrote it off in that near fatal crash, it was a £320,000 McLaren Mercedes SLR.

There have also been a Lamborghini Diablo roadster (£200,000), Aston Martin Vantage (£200,000), Ferrari 335 (£100,000), as well as Porches, BMWs and Range Rovers. On one occasion, he bought a 4x4 simply because it was snowing.

Being brash and obnoxious is one thing; but it doesn’t end there. Hamed was overtaking a queue of traffic on the brow of a hill — something he has being doing for as long as anyone can remember — when he ploughed into Anthony Burgin’s VW Golf.

"He just doesn’t think the normal rules apply to him," said someone who was once a passenger in his car. "He thinks traffic lights are voluntary and will jump a queue of traffic without regard for the consequences."

NOW THAT IS A GREAT CHAMPION! And if "Emanuel Steward did in fact say that, HE'S FULL OF IT TOO! But I know he would never have said something so-stupid. You should look at what you are calling "Great" before doing so. All I see is a PUNK and a CRIMINAL who think's he's ABOVE THE LAW! thats my take on NAZ! Take Care.

Answer 2

Prince Naz was wonderful to watch because of his unorthodox style. Although he almost reached super stardom, he never proved that he was a top notch fighter and never established his legacy. He lost to the only elite fighter he ever fought (Barrera). Even after the loss, he could have remained in the boxing picture. Instead, he chose to fade away. He had some great performances, mainly against weak competition. Hamed also put on some magnificent ring entry performances. It's strange that he couldn't stop speeding in his collection of high performanced vehicles, racking up multiple arrests related to fast cars and excessively exceeding the speed limit. He is actually in jail right now for almost killing somebody (while seemingly in a street race). Nonetheless, he was a truly entertaining fighter and remains an intriguing story. It would be great to see him fight again. Maybe he's training in jail...

Answer 3

Naz had solid physical tools, and could hit pretty hard for a little guy, those were the gifts Emanuel was talking about.  The biggest problem with Naz wasn't his natural ability, it was his lack of character.  Rocky K is attempting to describe that lack of character by describing some of Naz's behavior with his answer, and I give Rocky a thumbs up, well done.

Here is another example of what I mean.  Months before the Soto fight a friend of mine from my old neighborhood brought Naz's brother to my home to borrow tapes of Naz.  I would have helped them out without the offer of a ticket to Naz's fight, but Naz's brother offered one anyway.  I gave them less than a dozen of Naz's prior fights, and eventually the thing came together and Naz fought a the Joe Louis Arena, about ten minutes from my house.   Of course I was ringside, but they stiffed me on the ticket they promised, I went anyway because I wanted to see Eric Morales/Wayne McCoullah.  It was a small thing, but it showed the type of people Naz's crowd was, the lack of character, that arrogance that most insecure people of low character use to mask their pettiness.

In order to succeed in boxing, and make no mistake, Naz was a success by any standard you judge his career, you need the natural talent Emanuel referred to.  Naz had skills, and could slug for a little guy.  In order to take the next step, and elevate yourself above mere financial success to gain the respect of your peers and others, you need character, and unfortunately for Naz, he lacked character.  Marco Antonio Barrera exposed this weakness in Naz.  It was a lack of character and desperation that caused Naz to lace Barrera and try to bully Marco.  It was character than caused Barrera to slam Naz's face into the turn buckle in response to Naz's fouls.  Barrera completely out classed Naz in and out of the ring.  Yeah, I was at that one too, I kept track of the little $hit and caught that fight as well.

Naz couldn't have done any better than he did, he was a good fighter, but he never could have reached the level of greatness Barrera or Morales achieved, and I hold Wayne McCoullah in higher esteem than I do Hamed.  The one thing I will always remember most about Naz was his entrances, nobody could turn a ring walk into an event like Naz.

Naz peaked with Barrera, he could never have gotten any better than losing to top level competition.

Answer 4

When I watched Naz as a young fighter, I rated him as one of the best boxers ever. To watch someone fight for a European title over 12 rounds hardly taking a punch, and seeing him win  the WBO  title,  held for years by Steve Robinson , with such ease . He used to talk about winning  world titles up to welterweight, and this seemed possible at the time. But as others have said, his character let him down.  He changed so much and his success went to his head. He was not a nice person at all. If he had the character of someone like Ricky Hatton, I believe he would have become one of the greatest fighters ever and the best from Britain for sure because he was so naturally gifted. He was way past his best when Barrera beat him.

Answer 5

In all fairness to Nazeem.  A lot happened to his career and personal life since 9-11.  Like many who bare a ''middle eastern'' appearence,  Naz was hounded constantly by Americans who sought to ''even the score'' by mistreating people who ''look'' like they might have played a part in that sad event.

Even a personal friend of mine from work,  a man from Egypt, a country who had little or nothing to do with the event,  encountered various problems.  It was very sad because He was literally one of the kindest people I've ever known.  Yet he had to deal with bone-headed racist remarks Everyday.  Im all for American pride but some of the behavior I've witnessed just after 9-11 was just plain ridiculous.  

A little known fact is that it became very difficult for Nazeem to get fights anywhere.  Although he lives in England,  and spent much of his life there,  he is originally from Yeman and also spends a great deal of time there as well, as is his right.  

As a fighter,  I liked Naz.  I know his style was unorthodoxed.  I felt he could have beaten Barerra in a rematch had it not been for 9-11 and the things that happened in his life shortly after.  

Although he chose not to ''box'' the traditional way,  Im sure that, at some point in time,  he would have used his skills in order to win on a consistant basis.  I think he certainly would have become one of the UK's greatest fighters.

Im a fight fan first so I just dont get into the personal lives of my favorite fighters.  As a boxer,  I would love to have seen Naz again.  Its easy to hate guys like Hector Camacho or Mike Tyson for their personal antics as well.  However,  I liked both as fighters and that's the way I chose to view them.  

Naturally,  I give a guy like Lennox Lewis FAR more credit than either.   Lennox has never been known for any anti social behavior and he has always carried himself very well.  He deserves a great deal of credit in that respect and in the sense that he's a very underrated champion.  For those who chose to view the Tyson-Lewis fight in a "UK vs US" point of view, rather than just a fight, as it should be,  Lennox did a fine job of representing the UK, while Mike continued to embarass his huge following in the US.  

IMO,  I think Lennox Lewis is one of the best heavyweights of all time.  He might not carry the ''Historical Signifigance'' that some of the more established champions,  like Dempsey, Marciano, Ali Louis and others have enjoyed.    However,  IN THE RING,  there arent many who would beat him.

That's where it counts.  

Had he continued,  there would not have been many who could beat Naz either.

Answer 6

wish i could afford manny stewart..

POW!!!!! right in the whatever