Mugwump wrote:
Naz beat not far from a dozen past and future champions. He'd have been a lot closer to Barrera if he'd been a) in his prime (about the time of the fight against Robinson) and b) hadn't stopped training in the three weeks leading up to the fight,
There was a resume of Naz's career in Esquire magazine a few weeks back, including contributions from the Ingles and Frank Warren. Talking of the Barrera fight, or rather the build up to it, the picture they painted was of a man who had surrounded himself by yes men, massaging his ego 24/7. Diuring a Channel Four documentary, Naz's entourage drove pass Barrera's camp—a shanty on top of some hills—whilst his brother bragged that Hamed was training—or rather, not training—in plush, grade A facilities. Priority problems there methinks.
It's still a disappointment that Naz never really returned (bar the half-hearted comeback), especially as Barrera went onto become a bona fide legend. It was also interesting to hear that Paul Malignaggi wants to emulate Naz. He was also mentioned in some regard by HBO's commentators during one of the fights on the Woods/Tarver undercard.