Prince Naseem Hamed has named one of the main factors that contributed to his defeat against Marco Antonio Barrera.
They fell out in 2001, years after Hamed split from Brendan Ingle, his longtime coach, and joined forces with Emanuel Steward.
With Ingle in his corner, “Naz” won the WBO featherweight world title, dethroning Steve Robinson with an impressive eighth-round stoppage victory in 1995.
The charismatic showman went on to defend his belt 11 times, including an iconic fourth-round finish over Kevin Kelley, before ending his fruitful relationship with Ingle.
Then, working under the tutelage of legendary coach Steward, Hamed defended another four titles before facing Barrera.
Thanks to his huge success at 126 pounds, the fighter from Sheffield became a significant favorite against Barrera, who had not yet finished competing with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales.
However, despite his underdog status, the Mexican ultimately gave Hamed his hardest work of the night and ultimately earned a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.
However, since then ‘Naz’, who had previously vacated the WBO title, has insisted his preparations were less than ideal for such a significant showdown in Las Vegas.
I’m talking to Froch About the fight as part of a promotional campaign biographical film The British boxing legend revealed that his weight battle was the most grueling challenge ahead of his fight tonight.
“It was impossible to prepare [for Barrera]because eight weeks to lose 2.5 stone [35lbs] was practically impossible.
“First day [of camp]Oscar Suarez, who was my coach [alongside Steward] then he said, “Okay, let’s weigh you.” I was 11 years venerable [154lbs]and he said to me, “Okay, we have a dietician and you will live on 500 calories a day.”
“From the beginning of training camp to the last day of training camp – going to Vegas – I still didn’t make the weight.
“I was exhausted and it was unsafe, but deep down I always thought there was no way [Barrera] he was going to knock me out or stop me.
“And I always thought, ‘He won’t last 12 rounds if I don’t catch him.'”
After his only loss to Barrara, Hamed had one more appearance, a points victory over Manuel Calvo, before hanging up his gloves in 2002 as a British boxing legend.