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Unbeaten Prince Naseem Hamed Faces Defining Moment
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, April 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Britain's "Prince" Naseem Hamed faces the most important fight of his undefeated boxing career here Sunday in a matchup with Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera.
There is no world title at stake, but Hamed is 35-0 with 31 knockouts while Barrera is 52-3 with 37 knockouts after a much-disputed decision loss to World Boxing Council champion Erik Morales.
Hamed, a devoted Muslim, a 2-1 favorite disdained sanctioning organizations and has taken his showman pitch as a champion to the public, ignoring the cries of critics that his opponents have not been of top quality.
"This game's become a joke, there's so many belts and so much politics," Hamed said. "Once you've made your name in the boxing world, and made the right money, you should take alternative paths - just fight the best opponents available, regardless.
"There's no better than me and Barrera in the featherweight division."
To back up his beliefs, Hamed dropped the lesser-regarded World Boxing Organization title rather than face a mandatory defense against Istvan Kovacs.
"I've thought about making up my own belt and defending that," Hamed said. "But that's a little bit tacky."
Winning in his Las Vegas debut would bring Hamed a chance for big-money showdowns with the system's anointed kings, the WBC's Morales, the World Boxing Association's Derrick Gainer and South African Mbulelo Botile from the International Boxing Federation.
Hamed, whose parents were from Yemen and now live in Sheffield, U.K., is known for spectacular theatrics entering the ring and punishing power inside the ropes - attracting devotion and derision like none since his idol Muhammad Ali.
"He didn't do the entrances like I do, but I liked his mannerisms, the way he carried and conducted himself," Hamed said.
"The main thing is that people are interested in seeing me fight. If some people love my style and the things I do, great. And if other people want to see me get beat, that's great, too."
And like Ali, he knows how to hype a fight.
"You don't need to say much about this fight," Hamed said. "This is probably going to be one of the best fights of the 21st Century, so you don't need to put much into it."
A Boston Globe article Friday described Hamed as a religious man wholly devoted to Islam and his family, who has two personas, one in the boxing ring, in which he puts on his fantastical egomaniacal pre-fight shows with over-flair, and the other real side, of the devoted son, father of two and husband.
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