Naseem Hamed - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Naseem Hamed is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

former professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

.

He is the former WBO, WBC

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

, IBF

International Boxing Council

The International Boxing Council is a boxing organization. The IBC titles are often the beginning for professional boxers who progress to high prestigious titles....

, & Lineal

Lineal championship

In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...

featherweight

Featherweight

Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

champion, and European bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

champion.

Hamed was known for his boxing antics and spectacular ring entrances that have included entering the ring via a Chevrolet Impala

Chevrolet Impala

The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...

, a flying carpet, an elevator, and a palanquin; re-enacting the video of Michael Jackson's Thriller; and wearing a Halloween

Halloween

Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

mask. He was also known for his front somersault

Somersault

A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground...

over the top rope into the ring.

Early career

Hamed was born in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, to Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

i parents, in 1974. Hamed started boxing professionally at Flyweight

Flyweight

Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...

in 1992. He soon began rising through the ranks as he knocked out a series of opponents in the opening rounds. Age 20 he won the European bantamweight title, comprehensively beating the beleaguered Vincenzo Belcastro over twelve rounds. After one defense he added the WBC International super bantamweight title to his CV in 1994, overwhelming Freddy Cruz in Sheffield, whom he severely punished and stopped in six rounds. Hamed's popularity grew, his unorthodox style winning a large fan base and his boxing antics generating a large group of detractors. After signing for Frank Warren, Hamed, employing more spectacular entrances, knocked out better opposition in Enrique Angeles and Juan Polo Pérez, both within two rounds.

World Featherweight Champion

Later in 1995, after controversially being named the WBO #1 featherweight contender (despite never having boxed at that weight), Hamed moved up to face Wales'

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

defending WBO champion Steve Robinson. After dominating the bout and scoring a knockdown in round 5, Hamed won the title when the referee stopped the fight in round 8 after Robinson was caught with a left hook and lost his footing. The fight was held in front of Robinson's home crowd at Cardiff Arms Park, a roofless stadium now replaced by The Millenium Stadium, with rain pouring down on the fighters and the ring

His first defence came against Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n based Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n, Said Lawal, who was instantly knocked down from Hamed's first punch, then stopped in just 35 seconds after being effortlessly dropped again. This was the fastest world title fight ever held in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, much to the displeasure of the crowd. Hamed's second defence was against undefeated Puerto Rican

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

Daniel Alicea. Televised in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

by Showtime, Hamed was carried to the ring on a grand throne, something which Hamed later stated he was not comfortable with. After a fast, lively start from Alicea, Hamed suffered a surprising brief knockdown in round 1, the first of his career. However, Hamed won the fight in his favoured round 2 with two knockdowns, the second of which forced the referee to wave the fight off instantly.

Hamed's next defence was in Dublin against former two-time world featherweight title holder Manuel Medina

Manuel Medina (boxer)

Juan Manuel Rubio Medina is a boxer, who is better known as Manuel Medina. He is a five-time world featherweight champion...

. After knocking Medina down heavily in round 2, Hamed struggled to finish the fight until finally knocking Medina down twice in round 11. The end came when the ring side doctor advised Medina's corner to stop the fight. Hamed revealed in his post-fight interview that he'd fought with a heavy cold. Medina would go on to have many more tough title fights, remarkably winning versions of the featherweight world title another three times. Hamed's next opponent was the 27-0 Remigio Molina of Argentina, who was stopped in two rounds.

In February 1997, Hamed defeated long-time IBF

International Boxing Federation

The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...

champion Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson in eight rounds in a unification bout at the London Arena

London Arena

The London Arena was an indoor arena and exhibition centre, on the Isle of Dogs, in East London, England...

. After being constantly stunned and staggered from round 3 onwards, Johnson was finally dropped by a huge uppercut, then saved from further punishment by the referee. Hamed's first defence of both the WBO & IBF titles was a first round ko of veteran British boxer and European champion Billy Hardy. Before the bout Hamed had correctly predicted he would win in round 1. The next defence was an easy two round win against a hugely outclassed Juan Gerardo Carbrera. Due to boxing politics involving the IBF's mandatory challenger, Hamed was soon forced to relinquish the IBF title.

In Hamed's hometown of Sheffield in October 1997, he produced one of the best performances of his career in defending his WBO title against Jose Badillo, whose corner entered the ring to stop the fight during round 7.

In late 1997 Hamed made his heavily hyped U.S. debut. His ceremonious arrival on the British Airways

British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

Concorde

Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...

was covered by multiple media

Mass media

Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

outlets. There, he and former WBC

World Boxing Council

title holder Kevin Kelley fought in a highly entertaining bout. This fight marks something of a watershed in Hamed's career, as he was forced, for the first time, to abandon his hands-down style of fighting throughout the entire course of the bout, given the calibre of Kelley. Nonetheless, despite suffering three knockdowns himself, Hamed put Kelley down for a third and final time to win by a fourth round knockout. This was his first of many fights on HBO

Home Box Office

HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...

.

In 1998, Hamed enjoyed victories over former three-time WBA

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

title holder and then Lineal champion

Lineal championship

Wilfredo Vazquez

Wilfredo Vázquez

Wilfredo Vázquez is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is a former World Champion at three different weights, Bantamweight, Super bantamweight and Featherweight.-Early life and amateur career:...

(TKO 7), former WBC bantamweight title holder Wayne McCullough

Wayne McCullough

Wayne William McCullough is a professional boxer. During his professional career, which spans back to 1993, he held the WBC title in the Bantamweight category...

(W 12), and future IBF title holder Paul Ingle (TKO 11). In October 1999 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States, Hamed defeated WBC featherweight champion Cesar Soto

Cesar Soto (boxer)

César Soto Esquivel is a retired Mexican professional boxer and is the former WBC Featherweight Champion.-Professional career:...

of Mexico over 12 rounds, adding the WBC title to his collection and briefly unifying the WBC & WBO titles. Hamed soon chose to relinquish his WBC title due to his commitment to being WBO champion.

Had Vazquez not been (deliberately) stripped by the WBA of his belt (the WBA did not want their featherweight title unified with the WBO), Hamed would have had the distinction of winning all four world titles in a division, something only Riddick Bowe had achieved at heavyweight.

In March 2000 at Olympia, Kensington, London, Hamed knocked out former undefeated long-reigning IBF super bantamweight title holder, Vuyani Bungu of South Africa. The fight was ended with a single straight left hand, in one of Hamed's most impressive performances and biggest victories.

Hamed successfully retained his WBO title for the fifteenth and final time in August 2000 against Augie Sanchez at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States via a devastating fourth round knockout. After this bout, rather than face the unknown EBU

European Boxing Union

The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...

Champion & WBO mandatory challenger István Kovács, Hamed relinquished his WBO title to pave the way for a Superfight with long-time rival, Marco Antonio Barrera.

Hamed vs Barrera

On 7 April 2001 at the MGM Grand Casino

MGM Grand Las Vegas

The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...

in Las Vegas, Hamed lost to Marco Antonio Barrera

Marco Antonio Barrera

Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...

via a unanimous decision, losing his Lineal championship

Lineal championship

. Hamed's record at the time was 35-0 and he was a heavy favourite with bookmaker's odds of 1/8. After being wobbled in Round 1, Hamed could not hit Barrera with his trademark lefts as the Mexican boxer was equally as quick and was not fighting defensively. His game plan was to circle around Hamed anti-clockwise to negate Hamed's powerful left hand punch. On one occasion early in the fight, Hamed grabbed Barrera and they both fell to the ground where Barrera threw a right jab, leading to a warning from referee Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...

. In the 12th and final round, Hamed, still looking for the knockout punch, missed wildy with a left hand, resulting in Barrera taking the opportunity to trap Hamed in a Half Nelson hold and force his head into the turnbuckle, resulting in a point deducted by referee Joe Cortez. Ultimately, Barrera was more versatile and threw more impressive combinations forcing Hamed into going for ill directed power punches.

Final bout

On 18 May 2002 at ExCel Arena, Docklands, London, Hamed returned to the ring for what turned out to be his final boxing match, against the European champion Manuel Calvo. Despite winning the fight comfortably by a unanimous decision, Hamed performed poorly, resulting in boos and derision from the British crowd during the later rounds, with many people leaving before the last round. In a tense post-fight interview with Ian Darke, Hamed assured a quick return to the ring which ultimately never happened. Vague talk of a return to the sport has swirled around the charismatic fighter ever since, but no firm plans have ever been made.

In an interview for Sky Sports

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

, Hamed mentioned that part of the reason that he left boxing after this fight was because of his commitments to his family, whom he would often not see for up to 9 weeks at a time whilst attending training camps. Hamed also gave an interview for BBC Radio Sportsweek and announced that his retirement was largely due to chronic hand problems, which meant he had to take tendinitis injections after every fight.

Legacy and impact

Naseem Hamed's Boxing story is seen by many experts in the sport as one of unfulfilled potential. Frank Warren the boxing promoter once said of Hamed: "I think at one stage he was the most exciting fighter that I'd ever been involved with. At one stage, in the early part of his career, he could have gone on to become one of the great fighters. But that disappeared when he didn't fight as regularly as he should have done, when he was cutting corners on his training. It just didn't work out for him from that point on."

Moreover commentators have pointed out that Hamed's ability should have propelled him to achievements that would have given him legendary status, but that his noted dislike of the long hard training camps and long periods away from his family hindered this.. Such speculation, however, has been largely fueled by his supporters. Others have pointed out that Hamed's unorthodox style and porous defense made him vulnerable to well-schooled, balanced fighters, and in fact, the first time he faced one such fighter, Barrera, he was exposed as such.

As popular lower weight fighters like Oscar de la Hoya

Oscar de la Hoya

Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...

and Kostya Tszyu moved into the mid-weight classes and the Mexican champion Julio César Chávez

Julio César Chávez

Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...

declined, Hamed and Arturo Gatti

Arturo Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...

filled the void. Hamed's boxing antics made him the new poster-boy for lighter-weight boxers and his charisma attracted a large number of fans. Hamed was referenced by the rapper Nas

Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

in the song "You Won't See Me Tonight", with the lyrics "I can't forget how I met you//you thought I was a boxer//Prince Naseem but I'm a mobster, Nas from Queens". Hamed himself recorded a song with hip hop group Kaliphz

Kaliphz

Kaliphz were a British hip hop crew formed in Rochdale by 2-Phaan and Jabba da Hype. They began as part of the breakdancing scene in the early 1980s, before branching out into spoken word and rap as other members joined the group. The group had a constantly shifting membership, and various name...

called "Walk Like a Champion", which reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

in 1996.

British boxing pundit Steve Bunce

Steve Bunce

Steve Bunce is a freelance television and radio sport pundit and newspaper columnist. He has regularly appeared as a pundit on the BBC sports programme Inside Sport and on BBC Radio Five Live's Fighting Talk...

stated on the 15 March 2008 edition of BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

panel show Fighting Talk

Fighting Talk

Fighting Talk is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. Its first series aired in October 2003, and was presented by Johnny Vaughan. The second series featured Christian O'Connell. It is currently hosted by Colin Murray and is aired on Saturday...

that Hamed was the greatest British boxer of all time. World Boxing, a sister publication of the more famous The Ring magazine, ranked Hamed as the 11th greatest British boxer of all-time. The Ring Magazine also ranked Hamed as the 46th greatest puncher of all-time.

Professional boxing record

Mexico Marco Antonio Barrera

Marco Antonio Barrera

United States Augie Sanchez

Augie Sanchez

Augustine Anthony Sanchez was an American featherweight boxer. He was known for his devastating punching power.- Amateur career :...

South Africa Vuyani Bungu

Vuyani Bungu

Vuyani Bungu was a professional boxer. Known as "Carousel Kid" or "The Beast", Bungu was a force in the super bantamweight division throughout the 1990s.-Professional career:...

Mexico César Soto

Cesar Soto (boxer)

César Soto Esquivel is a retired Mexican professional boxer and is the former WBC Featherweight Champion.-Professional career:...

Kingdom of England Paul Ingle

Paul Ingle

Paul Andrew Ingle is a retired featherweight boxer. As an amateur he competed for Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. As a professional he won the IBF, European, British, & Commonwealth featherweight titles.-Amateur career:As an amateur, Ingle was a member of the 1992...

Republic of Ireland Wayne McCullough

Wayne McCullough

Wayne William McCullough is a professional boxer. During his professional career, which spans back to 1993, he held the WBC title in the Bantamweight category...

Puerto Rico Wilfredo Vazquez

Wilfredo Vázquez

Kingdom of England Billy Hardy

Billy Hardy

Billy Hardy is a former bantamweight and featherweight boxer champion. He held the British championship at bantamweight and featherweight, as well as the European and Commonwealth featherweight titles....

United States Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson (boxer)

Tom Johnson was a boxer in the Featherweight division. Known as "Boom boom" ,Johnson turned pro in 1986 and in 1991 challenged Manuel Medina for the IBF Featherweight Title, losing a technical decision. In 1993 he rematched Medina and was able to win the title with a narrow split decision victory...

Argentina Remigio Molina

Remigio Molina

Remigio Daniel Molina is a former Argentine professional boxer in the Lightweight division...

Mexico Manuel Medina

Manuel Medina (boxer)

Juan Manuel Rubio Medina is a boxer, who is better known as Manuel Medina. He is a five-time world featherweight champion...

Dominican Republic Laureano Ramírez

Laureano Ramírez

Laureano Ramírez Padilla is a retired Dominican boxer, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in the Men's Flyweight division....

Kingdom of England Peter Buckley

Peter Buckley (boxer)

Peter Buckley is a retired English journeyman boxer in the Welterweight division.Although he most commonly fought in the Welterweight division, he has competed at a number of weight divisions up and down on either side.-Pro career:Buckley turned pro in October 1989, when he fought at the...

Kingdom of England Peter Buckley

Peter Buckley

Peter Buckley is the name of:* Peter Buckley , English journeyman welterweight boxer* Peter J. Buckley, Oregon State Representative, District 5 * Peter Buckley , British former professional racing cyclist...

Championships and accomplishments

Major Sanctioning Bodies

WBO Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

Champion (126 lbs)
IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...

Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

Champion (126 lbs)
WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

Champion (126 lbs)

Lineal Championship
Lineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...

titles:

World Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

Champion (126 lbs)

Regional/International Titles

WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

International Super Bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....

Championship (122 lbs)
EBU
European Boxing Union
The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...

Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

Championship (118 lbs)

Controversy outside the ring

On 2 May 2005 Hamed was involved in a 90-mph three-car collision at Ringinglow Road, Sheffield

Sheffield

, while driving his £300,000 silver McLaren-Mercedes SLR

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009...

. He was arrested on 3 May, released on bail and later charged at Sheffield Magistrates Court on 3 December.

On 31 March 2006 Hamed entered a plea of guilty and was warned he could face jail by a judge at Sheffield Crown Court. The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack, adjourned the case until 12 May to allow pre-sentence reports to be prepared. The court heard how the man in the car Hamed hit, later revealed as 38-year-old Anthony Burgin, who had attended a number of previous hearings, was unable to come to court because he was in hospital for further treatment. His wife Clare was also injured.

On 12 May the court heard in a sentencing hearing how Hamed had been anxious to impress businessman Asif Goro, who was a passenger in the McLaren-Mercedes at the time of the crash. Hamed was showing what his car could do when he crossed a solid white line at a speed of at least 90 mph and crashed head-on into a Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...

that emerged from a dip in the road. Hamed's car then hit a second vehicle, the Ford Mondeo

Ford Mondeo

The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...

he had been trying to overtake. Mr. Burgin, the driver of the Volkswagen Golf, was very seriously injured, breaking every major bone in his body and suffering bruising to the brain. Hamed escaped unhurt.

Hamed was sentenced for 15 months after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. He was also given a four-year driving ban. Judge Alan Goldsack told Hamed: "I find it astonishing that the DVLA has not been prepared to cooperate with the prosecution to give them details of your earlier offences - apparently on human rights grounds." The DVLA's decision led to Hamed being sentenced without the judge being told he had previously been banned for a year for driving a Porsche

Porsche

Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

at 110 mph on the M1 in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

. It was also revealed that Hamed had three other previous convictions for speeding offences, details of which the prosecution had to find from court records.
Hamed was granted an early release and left prison on 4 September 2006 after serving 16 weeks of the 15-month sentence. Hamed was placed under Home Detention Curfew

Home Detention Curfew

Home Detention Curfew is a detention scheme in the United Kingdom whereby certain short-term criminals are released from prison several weeks to months before the completion of their sentence to allow them to integrate back into society...

for the remainder of his sentence, and monitored by an electronic tag

Electronic tagging

Electronic tagging is a form of non-surreptitious surveillance consisting of an electronic device attached to a person or vehicle, especially certain criminals, allowing their whereabouts to be monitored. In general, devices locate themselves using GPS and report their position back to a control...

. Anthony Burgin, the driver whom Hamed collided with, said: "I am shocked that after such a serious accident Mr Hamed has been released after less than four months." Nevertheless, the appointment of Hamed to be a "Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" (otherwise known as an MBE) was annulled as a consequence of the conviction.

There was also a civil court case rumoured to cost Hamed up to £1 million plus legal costs, as Burgin was deemed unable ever to work again.

Burgin was later arrested and charged with dangerous driving for an incident alleged to have involved Eleasha Hamed (the wife of Naseem) on 19 April 2007. Burgin pleaded not guilty, and appeared in court on 17 March 2008, following which he was cleared of charges.

External links

BBC's Naseem Hamed profile

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.