Just the same, after the entrance everything felt anticlimactic. With 31 KOs in 37 of his fights, that night was among the few that went the distance.

Hamed was a funky imp - hands at his side, tongue wagging - with ungodly power. The entrance concluded with his trademark backflip over the top rope, followed by a dominant decision over the WBC champion, Cesar Soto. Though born a commoner, he had appropriated the title of 'Prince,' and unlike those well-born into the House of Windsor, Hamed had earned it. Its cargo: a featherweight from Sheffield, England, named Naseem Hamed. It seemed to come out of the ceiling, enshrouded in smoke, at the old Joe Louis Arena. You like Tyson Fury? Naseem Hamed is how we got hereĪs favored nephew and apprentice of the late, great trainer, Emanuel Steward, SugarHill Steward had been prepared for just about any measure of absurdity boxing could offer - except this: You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser