Naseem Hamed returns as boxing manager
"Prince" Naseem Hamed has returned to the ring.
The former featherweight champion has reportedly applied to the British Boxing Board of Control for a manager’s license, in a bid to manage up-and-coming prospect Callum Johnson.
Johnson, 25, won a gold medal last month at the Commonwealth Games in the light heavyweight division, earning the attention of many in British boxing.
In an interview with boxing insider Colin Hart, Hamed explained his intentions in supporting Johnson and returning to boxing.
"I have always loved boxing, which is the greatest sport on Earth," Hamed said. "It has given me so much—fame, wealth and world titles. I thought it was about time I put something back into it. I knew about Callum through a mutual friend of his father and
I happened to see him on TV. He knocked out a kid with the sweetest of left hooks."
"Naz" continued with, "The power in that punch reminded me of Mike Tyson. I was so excited I leapt out of my chair. I made up my mind there and then I wanted to manage the boy."
The young Johnson looks to make a professional debut in Glasgow on 4 December. The formidable boxing promoter Frank Warren has already won his signature on the dotted line.
With Hamed as manager and Warren as promoter, Johnson is off to a good start to his career. After all, it was Warren who played mastermind in Hamed’s own rise through the ranks to success and fame.
Hamed, a knockout artist, managed to knock out 31 opponents in 36 professional victories. His sole defeat came at the hands of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera.
He opened up to Hart about his reasons for leaving the sport at the tender age of 28. "After every fight, my hands would hurt like h**l. Because I punched so hard I suffered many hairline fractures. I didn't need to go through that pain anymore. That was
the time to devote the rest of my life to my wife and children. It was a wise decision—I've never been happier."
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