22 - 28 February 2001
Issue No.522
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 22 - 28 February 2001 Issue No.522 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
No more 'Mr Nice Guy'
Naseem Hamed
Unbeaten "Prince" Naseem Hamed calls his April boxing showdown with Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera a defining moment that will bring respect and end all doubts about his worthiness as a champion. "I'm very confident I'm going to win the fight and win it in style. This is the biggest fight for me. The defining point in my career," Hamed, shown above, said. It's going to be an unbelievable fight, a wicked and exciting fight.""Prince Naseem is the best featherweight alive. That's what I want to hear after this fight. I want recognition after this, plenty. I want to be remembered as a guy who transcended boxing."
Three-time world champion Hamed is 35-0 with 31 knockouts. Barrera, a two-time world champion, is 52-3 with 38 knockouts.
"I'm not fighting for the money. It motivates me to a certain extent. But this is the fight that is going to give me the maximum amount of respect. This is what will separate me from what I am in the boxing world today."
The 27-year-old Briton, of Yemeni origin, has often been the subject of harsh criticism in the past for allegedly having pushed aside fighters of his own calibre.
The fight, billed as "Playing with Fire", is set for 7 April in Las Vegas.
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